21 Jump Street; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on March 19th, 2012, 3:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
9/10
I consider myself a comedy connoisseur. Whether it's the fine wine comedy of Monty Python, the outrageous antics of Will Ferrell in Step Brothers or Old School, or the recently over-the-top Wanderlust, and even further back to classics such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon, Animal House, and even further to the Stooges and Charlie Chaplin. I've seen it all. I have not, however, always enjoyed it all.
21 Jump Street was, simply put, a fantastic comedy. I wouldn't consider myself a huge Jonah Hill fan, but he does well in this movie. The star who really excels is Channing Tatum, however. As some other reviewers mention, seeing the actor exit his (boring, in my opinion) romantic role and enter into a comedic one is fantastic. His simple, yet sincere character is one we've seen time and again, but it's incredibly funny and somehow fresh in this film. Jonah Hill's character is similar to those in the past, the outcast bookworm, but again, it fits the movie.
The premise of the movie is that Tatum and Hill are newly graduated policemen, and aren't at all good at their job. After losing some perpetrators doing drugs in the park, they are reassigned to the run-down undercover unit at 21 Jump Street. Here, their captain (A hilarious Ice Cube) assigns them to pose as students to try and take down the supplier of a new hallucinogenic drug called HFS (Holy F'ing
). Simple enough premise. A large part of the comedy of this movie is currently edgy, and will hit home with our generation for years to come. Tatum and Hill return to school to find that studying, caring for the environment, and being tolerant is now 'cool'. This, of course, is openly satirizing the abrupt shift that is taking place with youth today, for good or ill and remains a very potent comedic strand throughout the movie. In a memorable scene, when the two first return to high school, they are bombarded by new cliques, such as asians dressed in cosplay and the now infamous hipsters. Again, it's humor that has a target audience and works incredibly well for us who are mired in these new cultural phenomena.
Interestingly enough, there are a few good action scenes to be had in this movie as well. It's no Jackie Chan movie, but the director manages some good action, explosions (and satirizing the convention of explosions), car chases and shootouts to change the pace when a change is warranted.
This isn't an art film, and will not wow you with presentation, cinematography, sound, or any other technical aspect. It is driven by its humor, strong acting, and script, which is always enough with a successful comedy. We are meant to pay attention to the jokes, not what the camera angles suggest. It is sufficient enough technically that we aren't distracted by *bad* decisions, there is just not anything that will wow you in that respect.
There are many laughs to be had in this movie, for people of all ages and backgrounds. The guys are forced to try the new drug right away to prove they're not police, and the insanity ensues. Tatum bursts into the band room and destroys and disrupts. Hill returns to drama class and somehow nails himself the lead part in the school's production of Peter Pan. In an attempt to get in with one of the dealers, the guys throw a party of wicked proportions, and kids from a rival school show up. This ends in Tatum punching almost anyone who steps in front of him and Hill getting stabbed with some kind of artifact. Then, their parents return and break up the party.
This movie toes the line between ridiculous and incredibly funny exactly the way a great comedy should. It's witty, edgy, and simply funny nearly all the time, with very strong acting and writing throughout all the while remaining grounded in a decent enough story. There are even a few great surprises to be had, including a fantastic cameo. The ONLY reasons this film garners a 9 instead of a 10 from me is because it falters in the final scenes, going too far with a shock device that seems totally unnecessary given the merit of the rest of the film. There are also some cliches to be had, but they serve their purpose in the plot.
In short, go and see this film as soon as possible.
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Guild Wars 2 (Pre-Purchase) April 10th
Posted by killa kiaba on March 15th, 2012, 6:52 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
https://buy.guildwars2.com/
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
All pre-purchase editions include these exclusive bonuses:
Access to all Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend Events
Three days of headstart access
Hero’s Band (+2 to all stats)
DIGITAL EDITION $59.99
Guild Wars 2 game
DIGITAL DELUXE $79.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
COLLECTOR'S EDITION $149.99
Guild Wars 2 game
Summon Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
Rytlock Miniature
Golem Banker
Chalice of Glory
Tome of Influence
10-inch figurine of Rytlock
112 page Making of Guild Wars 2 book
Custom Art Frame
Art Portfolio and Five Art Prints
Best of Guild Wars 2 Soundtrack CD
Minimum System Requirements*
* Due to potential changes, system requirements may change over time, and you may be required to upgrade your current system (or obtain a new system) to continue to play the game.
Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better · 2 GB RAM
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3, AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 or better
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better (256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse
The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet (3/27/2012): A Review
Posted by defeat on March 12th, 2012, 8:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 9/10
There are few bands I expect to blow me away with every release, and The Mars Volta is one of them. In any form of art there is an indefinite number of artists trying to take their chosen medium to the next level of originality. This is especially true in music, but most tend to get hung up on the concept of genres. It’s an easy thing to do, as genres are the best reference points art has to describe it. A genre is sometimes necessary for description, but at other times putting a label on a work of art can hinder the art itself. Trying to describe The Mars Volta’s music is hard enough, but putting one specific genre or label on it is simply impossible. One thing that they have stuck by, however, is the pop format. Granted, their songs aren’t the verse/chorus/verse all-in-under-four-minutes that Top 40 radio stations have come to embrace (it’s more like intro/verse/chorus/verse/bridge/chorus/outro, all-in-sometimes-10-minutes-or more), but they do have choruses that fans of intensely poetic, non-linear lyrics can try and sing along with. I say try, because, come on…Who can sing that hauntingly beautiful falsetto like Cedric Bixler-Zavala?
Throughout their career The Mars Volta have incorporated everything from jazz to Latin into their music, but their latest release, entitled Noctourniquet, comes closer to being a pop/rock album than any of the others. There. I said it. It’s a pop album. This shouldn’t have come as such a surprise to me, as the last release, 2009’s Octahedron, only had a single song over eight minutes (a huge departure from the band’s early days that spawned songs like the 35+ minute epic “Cassandra Gemini”). It was a surprise, though. Maybe it’s surprising because this is the first album they’ve released that I’ve heard parts in songs that could have come from other bands. “Aegis” has a feel reminiscent of Muse in the verses. “Zed and Two Naughts”’ drums instantly brought A Perfect Circle’s song "Weak and Powerless" to mind. Even the lead single has a guitar riff that could have come from any of the songs on Queens of the Stone Age’s album, Era Vulgaris, or any of Jack White’s past and present projects. I’m not saying that they were trying for any similarities, but when you make a pop album, it’s impossible to completely avoid them, even for The Mars Volta…
…And a The Mars Volta album it is! Even with these few similarities, the above mentioned songs are undoubtedly and uniquely straight from TMV’s songwriter and producer, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. His guitar playing is as riff-tastic and sometimes nothing but effects per-usual. He’s always been an experimental little guy, and even with Noctourniquet’s pop sensibilities, he's still pushing the boundaries of music. Their usual use of keyboards has changed from jazzy piano and organ to synth (possibly due to the departure of keyboardist "Ikey" Owens), although their trademark sound manipulation can be heard throughout the album’s entirety. Fans of The Volta’s past efforts won’t be disappointed, especially with the songs “Dyslexicon”, “Molochwalker”, and “Trinkets Pale of Moon”, which range from in-your-face to soft and sweet, respectively. One thing some fans tend to complain about is the revolving door of drummers since Jon Theodore stopped playing with the band in 2006. I never jumped on that band wagon, and really enjoyed Thomas Pridgen’s drumming on the last two albums. However, the only complaint I have about Noctourniquet is just that, the drumming. New drummer, Deantoni Parks, just doesn’t do it for me. He seems to be trying way too hard to live up to the sonic pummeling that the previous albums have featured, and sometimes fails miserably (evident in “Lapochka”).
If you haven’t heard The Mars Volta before, disliked their previous efforts for being too artsy, or are one of the many who haven’t liked an album of theirs since the full length debut (2003’s De-Loused in the Comatorium), Noctourniquet is a great album to get acquainted with, as it’s their most accessible and listener friendly album to date. Fans of the entire discography beware…
It’s a pop album. There. I said it again...
Recommended if you enjoy: Radiohead, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris and/or Jack White
The official lead single can be listened to here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0stkLanx4&ob=av3e
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning; A Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 15th, 2012, 12:33 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Overall rating: 8/10.
I've done my homework on this game, both before and after buying it. Everyone seems to be looking at it completely the wrong way. Other reviewers and consumers are comparing this game to Skyrim, Mass Effect, and many other juggernaut RPGs. This is a mistake. Reviews range from a 9/10 from IGN to a 5/10 from Adam Sessler at G4TV.
Kingdoms of Amalur is similar to other RPGs in some respects, and in others it is radically different. If we analyze and enjoy this by itself, it's a great game. If we stand it next to Skyrim, it falters badly in some respects, and excels in others.
The things this game does well are apparent from the moment you start playing. Environments are very vibrant, and are sufficiently unique. They're somewhat linear, but also allow for quite a bit of exploration and free roam. There are enough hidden treasures, places, and quests to keep you busy for many hours. Often I would venture off the path in search of a treasure that showed up on my map thanks to my 'detect hidden' skill, and would instead spend a few hours saving a town from some kind of spider woman. This had nothing to do with the main quest or any of the 'factions'.
The story for this game is very good, and has RA Salvatore's flair. Sometimes, however, this is its undoing. Every little quest has five minutes of backstory or lore, when you might simply be trying to complete a quest for a quick buck or exp gain. I sometimes found myself skipping dialog for meaningless side quests. On the other side of this issue, the main storyline and faction quests are well-done. I especially loved the storyline of the House of Ballads, a group of elf-like people who endlessly reenact battles and adventures long past. In short, the overarching story isn't anything unconventional, but there are many originalities and nuances to be enjoyed. It's easy to see the care that went into the story, and that a good novelist was the one who oversaw it.
I can't write a review about this game without mentioning it's greatest strength: the battle system. It's fast-paced and more than simple button mashing. I like the emphasis on combos and certain attacks, such as those that 'pop up' your enemy, making them vulnerable for further hits. The amount of attacks is satisfying, but the key is exploring which ones work best together.
The game's skill system is pretty basic but fulfilling at the same time. There are plenty of skills and styles to be explored, without there being *too* much. The destiny system is great, you can unlock bonuses for your character as you dump points into any of the three skill trees. You can also unlock destinies for hybrid classes, even ones for supporting all three trees. This allows for a fantastic amount of customization with ample reward for whichever tree/s you choose to support.
That being said, this game's mechanics allow for one of the best roleplaying opportunities I've seen. The destiny system and hybrid classes make for an experience that really hasn't been amply explored in other titles. If you couple this with the strong story and hundreds of quests, then you have a very enjoyable recipe.
The game, of course; is not without faults. Some consumers have complained about the voice acting, but I actually enjoyed it. I found it more inspiring than some, and dialog seemed to fit the character saying it. I will be the first to admit that character models and facial expressions are lacking. Though the voice acting is good, it is not paired with good facial modeling. The characters are expressionless and half the time, their mouths don't even follow what they're saying.
Other cons involve slight dips in framerate, but nothing that was at all gamebreaking. I also often found the shops lacking, I finished the game with over 5 million gold. Granted, I was a money-making machine with max mercantile and detect hidden skills, but there was literally nowhere for me to spend my money after about 2/3 of the way through the game.
I spent about 50 hours on this game, and I was thoroughly satisfied with my experience. There seems to be dozens more hours of content, as I finished with over 50 side quests unfinished, and who knows how many more I left not taken. The replayability of the game is high as well, with trophies/achievements awarded for each playstyle. Though it would be just as easy to totally re-allot your skill points than to start over, but what's the fun in that?
The game is pretty standard fantasy fare on almost every front, while excelling in a few respects; namely the battle system and the major storylines. As other reviewers have pointed out, this game seems to borrow the best features of a lot of other titles and implement them in game to the point where they work together to near perfection. Loot, story, battling, skills, environment, and more. Overall, this game was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new, solid RPG to play from a new studio, but with some very hard-hitting names behind it.
The Woman in Black; A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on February 6th, 2012, 1:05 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
This was a good movie, not a great one. It did its job, it scared me (badly) at times, and there were very great technical things happening with this movie. However, it was inconsistent and Radcliffe's acting was just awful.
This movie is pretty typical as far as horror stories go, it's set in early 1900s England. The main character Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) plays a lawyer or paralegal, hard up for a break. He is sent by his firm to a sinister house near a small town, where the spirit of a woman terrorizes the town and the house. His son and their nanny are supposed to join him at the house after some time. Don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating, I learned with Insidious that underrated movies can be terrifying.
The opening scene of this movie was literally the most technically sound, and perhaps the best scene in the movie. While any opening scene should be great, it shouldn't be the best scene in the film. We're shown three young girls playing in an upstairs room, and nothing seems to be wrong. After a few moments, one of them drops their little teacup. It shatters. They then get up and advance towards the three windows, one of the trampling the teapot on the way. Here we have many good things in the cinematography and editing. Short takes. Shades of montage. Short jump cuts. This serves to confuse us, and it works very well. The three girls step up to the sill simultaneously, and jump out the windows. Then we're taken to Arthur's house, shocked by the previous scene and left with many questions.
The worst thing about this film, I felt, were its inconsistencies. It's easy to see that the aforementioned scene was meticulously cared for during production, whereas the rest of the film only shows glimmers of that care. As I said previously, Radcliffe's acting is terrible. He never shows any emotion, both when he realizes his wife has died in childbirth, nor at the end of the film when he is reunited with his son. This movie didn't call for him to strive for any awards, most of the time Arthur runs through the house chasing various noises. I was disappointed that when the script called for a little acting, he didn't deliver. And this took me away from the movie.
The movie delivers through jump-scares that we've come accustomed to with modern horror cinema. The cinematography is sound, with several first person shots that round corners, raising suspense. Of course, the scares don't come when we expect them. Moreover, there are several scenes in this film with these creepy, awkward, grimy toys that often act on their own. This was perhaps the most unsettling thing about the film. Picture a porcelain clown toy from that era, that contorts itself and ends with a close-up shot of his grinning face. Don't see this (or do) if you're afraid of clowns. *shudder*
Along those same lines, there is a scene where Arthur is (you guessed it) checking a noise he heard in the house. He's using a candle, and upon entering the room, there are closeups of the aforementioned toys, and the light of the candle is reflected in their eyes. It's moving with Arthur, and subsequently, moving in the eyes of the toys, making it seem as if they are following his movement. There are similar scenes to this, such as one where Arthur sees the reflection of the ghost in a mirror, but when he turns to check, she is gone. Subtle tricks like these make this movie a positive experience.
The house is a major star in the film, as it should be. It is sinister, old, foreboding, dusty, cobwebby, and simply everything a haunted house should be. There is a cemetery on the grounds that adds to the feeling. In addition to that, there is a lone wooden cross in the front yard where a little boy died when he sank into the swamp.
When we are first introduced to the house, Arthur goes downstairs, exploring. His job in the place is to make sure there are no more official papers in the home and to try and find the owner's last will and testament. When he enters the room, there is a newborn baby crow on the floor. He picks the baby up and puts it in the nest nearby. As soon as he does so, he is attacked by mama bird. I enjoyed this scene, it seemed an homage to the horror of yore, movies like The Omen and Hitchcock's The Birds, where birds figure heavily in the horror.
Additionally, this scene bears a stark parallel with the final moments of the movie. Clever foreshadowing, or heavy-handed symbolism? Go see the movie and find out!
In short, I really enjoyed this movie, both at the surface level of modern horror and as an amateur film student. Its inconsistencies are many, but the great scenes it offers do redeem it. It is scary in the same way that other modern horror films are, and is easily enjoyable by anyone that loves the horror genre. I recommend this film.
The Devil Inside: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 25th, 2012, 3:43 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Rating: 3/10
The premise that a woman named Maria Rossi kills three people in 1989. Her daughter, Isabella, goes to the hospital in Italy where her mother has since been committed. Isabelle then attends a class full of priests about exorcism. She befriends two of them, and sets out to find what has actually happened to her mother and document it on camera.
Let me first say that this movie was completely horrible. Awful. Terrible. The plotline was as jagged as a piece of broken glass, and not nearly as sharp. I don't even know where to begin with this one. The movie opens with a short black-screened scene that lets us listen in on the 911 call after Maria has killed three priests. This is, without a doubt, one of the scariest scenes in the movie, which isn't saying much. Then we are treated to some convoluted storyline and some basic 'travel' footage of Isabella and her cameraman in Italy. There's nothing of significance in the first portion of the film.
After a bit, we see Isabella visit her mother in the hospital. I was intrigued by the fact that the staff seemed to trust the woman, even though she had a violent past. I was surprised that her daughter was even allowed to see her. This was one of the numerous gaping plotholes in the movie, but I was willing to forgive if it could deliver in the scary department.
Maria Rossi's character is sufficiently creepy, especially on the first meeting. She's clearly insane, and looks the part. Her hair is frazzled, she looks completely gaunt and malnourished, and she has been cutting crosses into herself, into painful areas like the inside of her lip. She asks her daughter if she knows how to "connect the cuts..." which was creepy. But it wasn't nearly enough. Maria screams a scream that is certainly not human, and Isabella leaves the hospital.
Between 'exorcisms' we're treated to mundane storyline, and the ever present battle between the two priests. One wants to exorcise Maria and others like her to help them, the other is afraid of losing his priesthood as the two are doing these exorcisms without the church's consent. While the idea is nice, and shows another side to the politics of the catholic church, it is the same conflict between characters we've seen in thousands of other movies. It fails to deliver, and the bad acting doesn't help.
The film's only redeeming scene comes when the priests decide that Isabella should accompany them on a separate exorcism to learn more about the practice. In this scene, the victim does numerous disturbing things, such as popping her shoulder out of place and generally contorting her body. It's nothing more than what we've come to expect from this genre, but it is effective still.
After this, the film loses all its merit. The group returns to the hospital to exorcise Maria, only to have her multiple demons jump into one of the priests, the cameraman, and Isabella. There are generic scenes such as one when the lights go out with the possessed priest upstairs.
Lastly, I must comment on the ending of this movie. I warn you, I am about to spoil it. But then, a movie as poorly made as this doesn't deserve the decency of secrecy.
In the final moments of the film, with the possessed priest dead, the cameraman is rushing Isabella to an exorcism expert in Rome. He becomes 'possessed', takes off his seatbelt, and veers into oncoming traffic, causing a wreck and the presumed death of the people in the car. The movie then ends. Abruptly. We are told the case is unresolved, and that we can visit http://www.therossifiles.com/ to find out more. Is this a clever blending of modern technology to enhance your moviegoing experience, or is this cheap, pathetic advertisement? A good film shouldn't need some website to further explain itself, and the site doesn't even do that from what I could gather.
The way endings like this work in a positive way is if we have been on a satisfying journey throughout the movie. In this one, we have not. We don't care about the characters. We can barely process what's going on as we see multiple exorcisms and the demons jump into the characters. There are no technically sound aspects to speak of, this movie is low-budget and it shows. It takes from a really great genre, the 'documentary', 'found-film' horror. Such titles like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity work because they utilize the cheap camerawork to make it look real. There are clear plot arcs. There are foundations in classic horror, and there are innovations as well that make up for unknown (but not always bad) actors. The Devil Inside has none of these, as I've mentioned.
The Exorcism horror sub genre never stood a chance. In it's premier, the original Exorcist movie got it right the first goddamn time. And no good exorcism movies have been made since, only cheap, floundering copies cashing in on the same idea.
There were some decent things about this film, but not enough to make it any good and certainly not enough to redeem the ridiculous ending. It was as if the movie itself were saying "Ha-ha for watching this garbage, now go
yourself" and the ending was the exclamation point on that statement. Don't waste your money on this movie, hopefully it'll soon be out of theaters and we can move on.
Lamb Of God - Resolution (01/24/12): A Review
Posted by defeat on January 23rd, 2012, 5:49 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 7/10
I almost didn’t review this album after listening to the first half of it. I was thinking, “Oh….It’s (2009's) Wrath…again, and I’ll have nothing to say…” After giving it another chance, the second half of the album was indeed Lamb Of God’s saving grace.
Every member of Lamb Of God have seemingly evolved over the years, except for the second most talented member, drummer, Chris Adler. Don’t get it wrong. He’s a favorite drummer of many, as he’s a consistent, speed drumming machine with great fills and feet faster than light. Come with the dynamics already, though, Chris! Maybe, it’s the production that’s held you back with your sound. Maybe, it’s the way you tune your drums (Let them resonate a bit next time, eh? Every, single, solitary drum shouldn’t have the short thump of a bass drum…). Maybe, you just don’t care. Some don’t. Oh, well...so it goes. (I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut as of late.)
Resolution, contradictorily to the drumming, is LOG’s most dynamic release yet. Some thought the band had been lost to “The Graveyard of Previously Great Bands” with the bore that was their previous release, Wrath. It just seemed like a filler album without any originality. Resolution is an adventurous turn of events in LOG’s discography. Guitarists’ Mark Morton and Willie Adler have given us a new take on The New Wave of American Heavy Metal with some softer, more progressive, off-time riffs in the songs “Barbarosa”, “King Me”, and lead single “Ghost Walking”. In most metal, the bass guitar is just a copy of the lead riff, just lower. In this release, though, bassist John Campbell is pleasantly noticeable in parts throughout Resolution’s entirety.
It would be fantastic to have Machine back at the production helm instead of Josh Wilbur, as some minor kinks in the production are what took away some audio enjoyment points. The drums have been mentioned as a major issue. Other kinks were really just post-production snafus. “Barbarosa” and “Invictus” is clearly one song. With fourteen tracks, it’s not like LOG were scraping the barrel for material. Some of the songs on the second half of the album should have been mingled with the first half to break up the turn off of early monotony. This takes away from the listening experience the most. God, is that second half great, though…
In other news, vocalist, Randy Blythe is still alive.
Lead single: "Ghost Walking" Official Video
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows; a review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 7:28 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
Rating: 8/10
Everyone knows the story of Sherlock Holmes, renowned detective. This movie is no different, with Holmes needing to solve a difficult case involving a sinister man named Professor Moriarty. The movie is deliciously mysterious, with Moriarty's motives in question until the final moments. Holmes of course enlists in the help of Dr. Watson, who is newly married; and the two go on an adventure that spans the European Continent to uncover Moriarty's plans and to try to save his intended victims that include Dr. Watson, his wife, a gypsy, and eventually all of Europe.
This movie was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and Jared Harris can do no wrong. The acting is superb, though sometimes over the top. I have, however, come to expect this of Downey Jr in general as well as within this franchise, so it works. He and Law make a fantastic pair, and the charisma and camaraderie come across well. Jared Harris makes a great villain as well, it's that simple.
The film lives up to its predecessor. It leaves a trail of clues that you are expected to notice, but not expected to piece together as Holmes does in the end. Certain important items are centered in the shot from Holmes' point of view, labeling them as imperative. The cinematography is sound, using multiple angles and distances when necessary. Sound is coupled with this approach as well. For example, there is one scene where one of Moriarty's lackeys is shown smoking a hand rolled cigarette. The cherry burns extra bright, and the sound of it burning can be heard over the other things going on in the frame. I wondered to myself, 'how is this important?' And I had a great time racking my brain trying to figure it out. I felt accomplished when it was revealed that the cigarette was important to the plot. This movie's greatest quality is that it makes you think and guess along with Holmes.
The film's comedy is fantastic, though sometimes ridiculous, as with the killing and revival of the poor bulldog (again). Though, once again, Downey Jr has made Holmes his own and put a modern spin on the man. That is not to say that the movie doesn't take certain liberties with the classics, because it does. Which is one of the reasons it remains an 8 out of 10 instead of a 9 or perfect score.
The great fighting scenes narrated strategically by Holmes return, though they go awry by variants not considered by Holmes. In the final scenes, Moriarty himself interjects in Holmes monologue and engages in a match of wits with the detective that is both exciting and original.
Speaking of which, editing must be mentioned. The film uses jump-cuts when necessary, and very effectively as well. Just before the scene mentioned prior, parallelism is used to near perfection as Holmes and Moriarty are having a game of chess. The movie cuts between chess moves and the exploits of Watson and the gypsy as they attempt to reveal an assassin and ultimately, Moriarty's plot.
My biggest problem with this movie was the extreme slow-motion. It was only in one scene, but that makes it stand out and it went on for far too long. Ever since 300, movies have been abusing slow motion. It was over the top in that title as well, but at least it was consistent. In an otherwise great, sound, smart movie I felt this was the only thing that seemed uninspired and frankly, too stereotypical Hollywood.
In closing, this move was very enjoyable. It was a bit on the long side, but I was sad it was over. In some ways, it is very typical action, in others, it is original, fun, and smart in a lot of ways modern movies are not. It is technically sound, but not ambitious. The cast delivers and I hope they continue to do so. The plot keeps you guessing right until the final moments, and there are many twists and turns to be had.
Go and see this movie while it's still in theaters.
The Darkest Hour: A Movie Review
Posted by Landerpurex on January 7th, 2012, 6:49 am. Category: Scribery Entry
Before we get started, let me state that there will be plot points discussed in the following text, but I will do my best to keep crucial points a secret. Let me also state that I am not a professional critic, but have more critical film expertise than most people; having taken several film courses in college.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
Overall rating: 5/10
This movie was nothing that the previews didn't show. In short, it's about a pair of software designers either fresh out of college or in the twilight of their college careers. They are in Moscow to pitch an idea for a user-based online comprehensive travel guide to some executives. They meet with a Swedish exec who has basically stolen their idea and screwed them out of a major (multi-million dollar?) deal. After this, the guys go to a club and meet a couple girls vacationing as well, and know of one of them due to her use of their program. Then come the invisible aliens. The creatures are made of electromagnetic energy and are somehow able to vaporize people. But their weakness is that they give themselves away and set off any and all lights and electronics when they approach. The rest of the movie is spent showing the characters trying to escape these creatures and get 'home', though they soon find similar landings and destruction have happened all across the world. Near the end, the group find out that there is a nuclear submarine waiting to help transport survivors back to their homes and/or to a safer facility.
First, it takes some time for the creatures to land. This is notwithstanding the fact the the premise of the guys' reason to be in Moscow is convoluted, not paramount to the plot, and completely forgettable. Though there were a few comic moments, there was nothing to be had in the first quarter of the film. Once the creatures land, I was intrigued. This movie's lone strength is the originality of the aliens and the plausibility of their form and powers. But the scripting failed to deliver more on the subject, with only a few lines from a Russian militant describing the nature of the aliens in no terms understandable by most people; myself included.
Speaking of the Russian militants, their characters are amusing, but completely stereotypical and over the top. They spout catch phrases like 'welcome to Russia' when fighting the creatures, they speak stereotypical nationalist dialog such as stuff about protecting their home, as well as typical, completely uninspired dialog about war and tactics. Couple this with forgettable characters all around and it makes for an equally forgettable experience.
The technical side of the movie was unimpressive as well. Nothing incredible in terms of cinematography, sound, or anything else.
The star of this film is the city of Moscow. It's exotic, beautiful, and foreboding. The architecture is fantastic, and there are some shots that are worth looking at.
In short, this was a movie that offered very little in terms of excitement, technical inventiveness, writing, and basically everything else that makes a film good. It had a tiny bit of originality with the creatures but this was not appropriately handled by anyone. The city was fantastic, but left one wanting. I did not see this movie in 3D, but I'm positive it would have been a debacle.
This movie was far from the worst I've seen, but falls very short. If you've seen the preview, you've seen everything cool there is about the movie.
1-6-2012 Modern Warfare 3
Posted by Tanksandguns on January 6th, 2012, 4:43 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
As a man who has played every Call of Duty game since Call of Duty 3, and sporadically before that since Big Red 1 I like to consider myself one of Call of Duty's biggest fans. Call of Duty has taken it's place as THE First Person Shooter. It's the franchise that comes to mind first when one talks about FPS games, and until recently, has had little to no competition in the field.
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Rating: 9/10
Campaign
Modern Warfare 3 builds itself off of the same story line that we saw in CoD4 and MW2. It follows multiple story lines as you play several different characters across each and also brings back the memorable duo of Captain Price and Soap MacTavish. Modern Warfare 3 starts right where Modern Warfare 2 left off. The world is in chaos, and Makarov is still at large. The game has the player visit several cities completely ransacked with war and destruction, including New York City and Paris, France.
The overall flow of the campaign is excellent. The transitions between missions and the pacing is wonderful. And the whole games had sitting on the edge of my seat, with a subtle anxious feeling the whole time. I was constantly wondering what would happen next, and where I was traveling to.
The game is also very challenging. Having completed the first two games on Veteran difficulty, this was my first choice on my first play through of the game. I quickly learned, that this game doesn't beat around the bush, and I couldn't even make it past the first checkpoint. I quickly dropped the difficulty to Hardened, and again to Normal. Even while playing Normal, I found myself dieing fairly frequently, and I loved it. I enjoy a real challenge while playing video games, and to get one in a FPS is no easy task. I also didn't find myself in the slow buildup of anger mode that usually comes with the frustrating deaths of FPS Campaigns. At one point, mid-combat, the game cycles between one the ground fighting, and in the sky fighting in an AC-130 gunship. This is one of the best moments that I can remember throughout all the games, second only to 'Ghillie in the Mist' from Call of Duty 4. The developers did a stunning job of transitioning immediately after an explosion from the AC-130 missile, to the ground troops in the smoke and debris of where the shell had just impacted.
The game itself is really beautiful (or as beautiful as a war-torn city can be). I played the entire campaign on a non-HD TV, and still found myself staring in amazement at the graphics. When I moved over to an HD TV for multiplayer, I found that they were spectacular.
The storyline does an excellent job of wrapping up the first two games. I had few questions left after I had finished, and even teared up at one point during the story. If you played the first two, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed in the final game.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer has been reworked again from Modern Warfare 2. They have new Kill Streaks, and introduced things called 'Strike Packages.' Strike Packages affect what kill streaks you are awarded, and how they are awarded. They offer three types you can choose from: Assault, Support, and Specialist. Assault focuses on killing enemies to gain enemy killing kill streak rewards. It includes, AC-130, Predator Missiles, and Attack Helicopters. Support focuses on objectives such as capturing a flag, planting a bomb, capturing a Domination point, etc. It doesn't require kills to advance through the rewards, but kills also help. Also, Support doesn't reset on death, so you can keep on dying and unlocking rewards. This was my personal favorite. This can give you UAV, Care Packages, Stealth Bomber, etc. The final Strike Package you can use is Specialist. Instead of giving you kill streak rewards, it unlocks perks every 2 kills the player makes. By 8 kills, the player then has all the perks in the game. These have really reworked how the multiplayer feels, and it feels a lot more balanced than the second game ever did.
My main problems with Modern Warfare 2, were that there were kill streaks in the air almost constantly, and there was little anyone could do about it. That feeling has really subsided with Modern Warfare 3. There doesn't seem to be helicopters, AC-130's, and Predator Missiles clogging up the sky nearly as much as it did in the second game, and there's more that can be done about it. More launchers, Sam Sites, and fewer overpowered kill streaks make for the multiplayer experience to be a lot more enjoyable.
Another complaint that I had with MW2, was the the Sniper Rifles seemed extremely underpowered. It took 2, sometimes 3 shots to kill someone in a Core match. In MW3, this has been fixed. One shot to the torso is more often than not, a kill shot. I find this to be my favorite change that was made. I'm finally not getting angry that my high velocity round isn't killing someone when it should.
With CoD: Black Ops came the addition that CoD had been missing for all of its games that Halo and the likes had picked up on. Split Screen multiplayer available online, either through multiple Xbox Live accounts or the use of Guest Accounts. Modern Warfare 3, thankfully, did not change this. You can now play with a buddy on the same TV, online.
Usually with First Person Shooters, I find myself hating a majority of the maps. For whatever reason, Modern Warfare 3 seems different. I only really dislike one or two maps. All the others I seem to have a blast on! They're all beautiful, fun and fairly small. The only complaint I have, is there's really no open area map that is good for Snipers.
All in all, I was extremely happy with the subtle tweaks they made to the multiplayer experience. Prestige Mode now goes to level 80 (ten times), and they added Prestige tokens which can unlock little bonuses such as Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Emblems and Titles, among other things. Each player starts out with 3, and since I haven't prestiged yet, I'm unsure whether you get 1 ever prestige level or more than that.
Spec Ops
Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of the Spec Ops mode. This can be done either solo or with a friend. I tried doing several of these solo, and found that once I had a friend help me out, they became significantly easier.
Spec Ops mode is a series of missions and objectives, some from the campaign, some completely fresh that test your speed and accuracy. Also, they can be a major challenge. From capturing the Russian President aboard his airplane, to killing waves upon waves in a Firefight type game mode, Spec Ops is nothing short of fun. Infinity Ward added a new style that resembles Horde from Gears of War and Firefight from Halo, where you face wave after wave of enemies including foot soldiers, dogs, helicopters and the infamous Juggernaut soldiers. For those looking for something after the campaign and after you get bored with multiplayer, I would recommend Spec Ops with a friend. It's an absolute blast!
Conclusion
All in all, I would say that Modern Warfare 3 was definitely worth the money I spent on it. It provided me with hours of entertainment, and will continue to do so for months to come. It fixed a lot of the issues I had with the previous game, and added some awesome touches as well. It did not disappoint me, and so far has lead to a lot less frustration with the game than Modern Warfare 2 did. I would recommend this game to any First Person Shooter fan, any fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and anyone looking for one of the best multiplayer experiences in gaming. I won't beat around the bush though, some of the fan-boys and the some of the casual players of MW3 can ruin your multiplayer experience, but that's why there's a mute feature.
~Tanksandguns
Skrillex-Bangarang (12/23/11): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 23rd, 2011, 7:11 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating 5/10
Listen. I’ll start off by saying I’m as on the fence with the newest Skrillex release, entitled Bangarang, as I have been with all the others. The guy is an exciting producer, and the voice samples/hooks he’s used are unforgettable. However, as with his other releases, the mid-register robotesque bass lines, four to the floor beats, and general feel are the same as they ever were and absolutely forgettable. You’ve got the electronic industry by the balls, Skrillex, and the time to fix your broken record is nigh.
When Skrillex became an instant success, and his songs could be heard everywhere, I was impressed with the mash up of genre’s with him and Korn in the Korn single “Get Up“, and really enjoyed "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" and “Kill Everybody” off of Skrillex’s EP with the same name Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. It seemed like a fresh, American take on the dubstep scene. That fresh take quickly turned into endless copycats and the post dubstep sub-genre dubbed “brostep”. As the forerunner of this new trend, Skrillex didn’t impress me with his first release, mildly did with his second release, and fails to with his newest.
There are definitely moments of production clarity on Bangarang in the title track (a song referencing the movie Hook?! Awesome!) and the non-bass line heavy house song “Right On Time“, but he even uses a broke up, syncopated, unintelligible, Asian sounding voice on the track “Summit” juuuust like he did on the track “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”. In a nutshell, Bangarang should be entitled Sonic the Househog On Crack. It’s got a Sonic the Hedgehog music + house + brostep sound on most of the songs on the seven song EP. If you are already a die-hard Skrillex fan (and I know you are out there as I just read the comment “Skrillex is life.“ from a fan on Skrillex’s Facebook page), you are going to absolutely love this album. If you haven’t ever heard Skrillex, and are into dubstep, you are probably going to like this album. The rest of us will either like it, dislike it, or think it’s OK (Mitch Hedberg anyone?). It does have bass drops and a couple buildups/breakdowns that make you smile with delight, so even after I write this review.....I’m still on the fence.
The title track:
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross-T.G.w.t.D.T.Soundtrack: A Review
Posted by defeat on December 12th, 2011, 11:14 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
When Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor work together, they don't just make music. They mold sounds into layers of emotional synesthesia, and their newest masterpiece, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is no different. Your brain and body don't quite know what to do with themselves. You smile. You get the chills. You get creeped out. You contemplate, yet sometimes you stop thinking all together.
After the near three hour playtime ended, I took my headphones off and the first thing to come to mind was Homer's epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. If Homer were alive today, he'd be furiously writing a screenplay, day in and day out, so Reznor and Ross could give it the sonic pulse it (I'm sure) would deserve. They are just that good.
Reznor has always been one of my favorites as far as extremely layered music goes. I consider Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile to be the greatest double-album of my generation, and it's a perfect example of Mr. Reznor's musical depth. Atticus Ross, on the other hand is more of a minimalist, and I was first introduced to his music when he did some programming and/or produced Nine Inch Nails' last four albums. He also caught my attention whilst watching the movie The Book of Eli. The entire time I was thinking to myself, "This HAS to be either Trent, Atticus, or Saul Williams doing the soundtrack for this...." It was indeed Atticus, and I became a fan.
The soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a drone type of electronica with some darker ambient soundscapes layered in, and when I write "layered in", I mean it as emphatically as is possible. It's the most complex minimalistic album ever created, if that's even possible. You'll always hear synth, and you'll sometimes hear keys, bells, guitars, strings, vibrations, xylophones etc., etc. One of the songs even has vocals, and oddly enough it's a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" (featuring Karen O on vocals) In a nutshell, it's epic in every way possible. Find three hours and treat yourself to what's bound to be a Grammy winner.
Recommended if you enjoy: Sigur Ros, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails, The Book of Eli (soundtrack), The Social Network (soundtrack)
allbroke- Broke/Free EP (12/02/2011): A Review
Posted by defeat on December 6th, 2011, 11:23 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Rating: 10/10
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
The dubstep scene is in two factions at the moment. You’ve got the UK kids who are all, “Yeah, Yeah dubstep…it’s played out and now the Americans are catching on late….yet again.” And we also have the US kids who are getting into dubstep because the US producers/programmers decided to 1-UP the UK’s scene. I personally don’t get into all that myself. If the track is good…..the track is good, wherever and whenever it came out.
Now on to the album you all need to know about. Allbroke has had a few songs independently released recently, and his Facebook was droppin’ hints about a present to us all (his fans). It’s here. His present is the absolutely free EP Broke/Free.
This you are going to enjoy. It’s a mix between UK and US dubstep in all the right ways. The music itself tells a subtle sci-fi story in it’s four song way. Makes me wish dubstep was around when The Matrix was being produced. I think It would have been very cool for Allbroke to have had a couple songs on there.
“The Device” is the opener, and from start to beginning it walks us through a device being used to make some nasty drops. It’s a very unique song. I have yet to hear of anyone doing what Allbroke is doing here. With this opener you know you’ve stumbled upon something unique.
“Nostromo” is second in line and well. It’s pretty chill at first until 55 seconds in when it drops and don’t stop….in a good way. Enter some sci fi dialogue. Great song.
“Orion” The third track I really, really, really , really enjoyed. Sweet, sweet tension and release I am a fan of. This one however has more of a UK sound to it. Not that I’m complaining .
“Field Medic” This closure is the epitome of what I was trying to get across up in hurr. It’s a UKUSA dubstep orgy.
Over all this albums broke down the boundaries between UK and US dubstep with one fell swoop. I was impressed with the dynamics of it all. Solid, Solid, EP.
Recommened if you enjoy: Ed Solo, Datsik, skrillex, Nero
Now how about a music video combining the songs for maximum epic? EH?
The link to the FREE EP is
http://www.facebook.com/spirographed?ref=tn_tnmn#!/Allbroke
Like the page, download the nasty.
A battle of time on communities
Posted by Demon on December 5th, 2011, 6:42 pm. Category: Scribery Entry
Time moves on inevitably, as I’m sure anyone can tell. Childhood memories become just what they are – memories. Not much can stay the same in a world rapidly evolving with people snaking along just as quickly towards some mysterious, unknown goal of worth we, as a society and race, have decided is vitally necessary. This is also true for the internet, but at a much broader and faster rate because of instant gratification and the scope of available tools for developers to build. While driving down ‘memory lane’ after twenty-odd years may bring the shock of finding your childhood home destroyed and a new shopping plaza in its place, you can still find your breath taken away at the vast and expanding internet. Simply visit Google and type in a keyword relative to your life (anything) and you’ll find more information instantly available than you can possibly read in your lifetime… with more being released as you’re reading!
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
Thus, what happens to a memory of a place once you can no longer visit it or feel that connection you once felt? How often do you drive or walk down a new, but familiar street where memories seem to come alive and flood into your conscious? Where do you go when you begin to relive those days of happiness, the shared, raw energy of a community? The whole experience can be quite a downer once you start thinking about those childhood playmates or perhaps the teenage adventures while testing the world, knowing you had your parents as a safety net. Where, then do you go when that memory is an online community?
Too often I’ve found myself needing information and simply visiting search engines like Google and Bing to find a quick resolution to any situation which may arise. This includes anything from technological break-downs, news, or entertainment; basically anything which would be best served instantly. It seems, at least to me, that technical forums and online ‘gurus’ have become a thing of the past. Why? Most times, ‘Googling’ an issue will bring up a laundry list of posts in forums with the exact problem, usually followed with an answer. However, the post was made and answered anywhere from ten years to a more recent four years. In either case, unless it’s a new product, there is no real need for posting on a forum only to wait days (if you’re lucky) for an intelligent response and possibly longer to get a true answer.
So where do communities fit into this? It seems only natural that communities, though once warm and welcoming to the casual internet browser, has become a thing of the past. They’ve been replaced with blogs and social networking where, again, everything revolves on instant gratification for the end-user. What kind of communities have survived? Other than those directly linked with a brand (Dell Technical Support – Love them) or with a particular product (Tip.It – A fansite based on a MMO game), it would seem there is little opportunity for growth among other communities. Yet there are still communities with mixed interests (Runevillage – A fansite-turned-general interest) where a wisp of memory and the attachment of veterans keep the community together, even through difficult times.
Despite the fondness of memories in our compulsive visits to places we’ve known and grown to love, there is a sort of sweet sorrow in their parting. Just as we must one day say goodbye to our parents, it feels there is an inevitable end to all communities – online or not. In a more directed note, while the Village may be the dear home of a few dedicated users who have stayed around for nearly the entirety of its life, the difficulty lies not in reviving the dead, but re-angling the community to be both ageless and timeless where simple trends don’t direct the life of the site as a whole. I’d say this has been the bane of countless sites with a targeted audience, because there was never any room allowed or even acknowledged to open the door for a broader scope of inclusion for outsiders and thus lays the self-imprisonment of sites with too little a mind to approach a large audience.
Simply putting it, the only means by which to survive in the rapid change and growth of the internet is to build and evolve with it, rather than staying focused on a single niche. A stubborn, slow mind will only be left behind as the community gathered moves on to bigger and better things, though they may still visit every so often (like an old man in a retirement home, perhaps). There can only be success where success is actively perceived and rendered into a useable model; building a strong community is great while there is community to build, but there has to be some means of bringing new users in and getting them attached the same way everyone else has become attached.
LLL: Updated 1/07; info on my future in the scribery
Posted by Landerpurex on December 1st, 2011, 2:55 am. Category: Scribery Entry
**EDIT**
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged.
Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Alright, so I daresay you editors and high ranking officials at RV are not interested in pure literature or creative works being put on the front page. Though I think that is ludicrous, I also see why that is. The bottom line is that I go to the movies, like, A LOT. Think on a weekly basis, pretty much. I hope to make some topics there on the front page through reviewing new movies. I have already written two and dedicated several hours to doing so in an effort to help this place. I know they are somewhat outdated, Darkest Hour being most so but I intend to review newer releases soon. I plan on seeing The Devil Inside tomorrow, so perhaps you can expect that review soon.
I also know that there are tons of other movie review sites, far more comprehensive and those that have professional critics (HA), but I tried to take a frank, fresh approach to the movies that will help anyone who is looking for such information. I also have to say that I am inspired by Defeat, but no longer will I allow him to take the brunt of the responsibility here, and the glory along with it.
Bottom line is, I am not going to write nor post creative works if they have no chance of being used, similarly how I am not going to write to no end for the Villager.
If someone wishes to refute or update me on Scribery and subsequently, front page quality policy, I would be much obliged. Also it should be noted that I would like to buy the new RPG coming out in February called Kingdoms of Amalur, so dibs on that review assuming I actually get the game.
***
This is the thread I'm gonna reserve for the (hopefully) many contributions I make to RV in its new direction. For now, I'm only posting one poem but expect more in the future. This is perhaps my favorite piece that I've written, and I believe it shows. Later, expect more poetry, short stories, and snippets from my novel/s.
That said, I need to post a small disclaimer: I hope to make a living as a writer someday, and much of what I post will be some of my best work. I retain all rights to my work as the author. In the unlikely event that I sell the rights to some of my work, I may ask for it to be taken off the site but that does not seem to be something that is possible for me to accept.
This was something I wrote for a two week intensive poetry seminar. I wrote this in response to my classmates who often said that my work was too triumphant, that it wasn't sad, depressing, or void of conflict. I hope you appreciate the satire. It's a form called "letter poetry" which I had never tried before, but I seem to be at least somewhat good at.
Lander wrote:
Dear self,
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of,
Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
You will never triumph against anything.
To presume otherwise is nothing
short of maniacal nonsense.
Wallow in your self pity,
Fill a pool with it,
Drown in it,
Glub.
Write your farewell poem in blood,
Then hang yourself.
Um, don’t do any of that.
I’m being facetious.
It surely wouldn’t kill you,
To let your weakness through
Every now and again.
Death dances around you.
He dances a jig in Swedish clogs.
He trips over his own robe,
Wreaking hellish havoc.
Pontificate.
Your father, dead by simultaneous stroke and heart attack
Your Uncle, dead by spidery spider cancer
Your cousin, dead by asthma attack
Your cousin, dead by drowning
Your mother, dead by house fire
Let a tear chart a new course
Down your cheek.
Taste bitterness.
Become angry.
Shout for no reason,
Curse the people who get under your skin.
Do it to their faces.
Your car’s a piece of
,Drive it til the wheels fall off,
Then light it on fire.
Loosen up and stop hiding
Your past and your trials.
They happened.
Pretending they aren’t real will only
Cause a quarter-life crisis.
Affectionately,
Me
By far, the most exciting news in the last year was the announcement of the latest entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim. Along with this announcement was a vast amount of detail on what would be included in the final product, as it would be released in less than 12 months, on November 11. The game is now out, and the biggest question series fans have had is this: Is it going to live up to previous games in the series?
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
I have to say what excited me was the announcement that this game would attempt to walk the line between Morrowind and Oblivion; Morrowind being one of my favorite games from childhood, and Oblivion being a technically good follow up set in a fairly generic setting. This is a pretty tall order. The magic of Morrowind, anyone can tell you, was in the discovery. You never knew what powerful ring you would find in that tomb across the river, or what daedric relic you'd pull out of the abandoned dwemer tower just outside of town.
Oblivion did away with this system, simply rewarding you these one of a kind items through quests; sure, a dungeon might provide a bunch of loot, but none of it had "pizzazz". None of it belonged to some great, unnamed warlock, and it certainly didn't belong to a demigod. You had to go talk to those guys in person, and you had to make sacrifices, but only when you hit the right level. Not the right level? Go back to Rockmilk and wait for those bandits and marauders to kill each other! Maybe after about ten delves you'll have fired your bow enough to get a level or two. It kind of got... boring. Not that other games don't have ridiculous amounts of grinding, but in a game claiming to be bigger and better than Morrowind, I expect even more relics to be dug up, not to just be handed to me for running between vendors and grabbing a shovel.
Skyrim, I'm happy to say, walks the line and leans toward the Morrowind side of the series. There's no telling what you'll find in any given cave, be it a powerful enemy wielding a magic weapon or a dragon wall providing you with immense power. The quests to find powerful artefacts often trigger just from discovering the tomb or strange item, so you still get the thrill of finding the artefact without feeling like you're a means to an end.
The world is wonderfully alien, just as it was in the good old days of the series. Expansive plains have herds of mammoths and giants wandering through, with beautiful mountains always in view. Rivers and streams flow through the landscape and look wonderful, although they are as much a nuisance as they are a beauty to look at. Often, there is no good way to cross a river without walking for what seems like miles out of your way. Attempting to wade across often goes awry, as there typically isn't a good way to climb out of said river. At this point, the best you can hope to do is survive the waterfall inevitably waiting 200 feet downstream and hope that you'll come out somewhere close to an actual road on the other side.
That's not to say that Oblivion's additions to the series were completely cut from the game; if anything, its shortcomings were tweaked until they became strengths for the game. While it didn't provide much in the way of setting, the fourth game in the series did a few things right: It simplified everything, and it added randomness in items. Skyrim expands on this.
Previous entries in the series required you to build your character around your Attributes, which governed skills, of which several selected as Major and [sometimes] Minor. You could only level up by increasing one of these selected skills, and then you had to weigh the pros and cons of increasing an attribute. These dilemmas are no more. Attributes: Gone. Major Skills: Nope nope. Minor Skills: That's been out of fashion for like ten years! All skills start the same, save for racial bonuses. You don't pick a class. You don't make a class. Whatever you use increases, and when a certain number of skill increases has been achieved, you level. You choose to increase your Health, Magicka, or Stamina bars, and then you get a perk to use to specialize in something. That's it. While I DO miss the challenge of increasing my luck, it's even better that I don't have to worry about respecializing in things after I've made my character. That isn't even a concern until after level 15 or so.
Building on the simplification of "Blade, Blunt, and Marksman", the weapon distinction has now become "One handed, Two handed, and Archery", with different sub-specializations within each skill tree that are up to you. One handed weapons include daggers, maces, swords, and one handed axes, and are great for damage dealers who don't want to take any damage. It goes hand in hand with the stealth tree, which only serves to make assassin characters even more overpowered (a common complaint I've heard of the game). From here you have the option to dual wield, a new feature to the series. It dramatically decreases your ability to block an attack, but the idea here is that you aren't going to be hit before this happens. Two handed is for people who don't mind getting punched in the face a couple times while swinging there weapon. These include greatswords, axes, and warhammers. Where does archery fit into all this? Very neatly, since it's so much more powerful than it ever was before. Put enough points into it, and it’s just as effective as any other weapon you could use.
Delving dungeons simply for magic items is always beneficial, especially at lower levels. Don't wear heavy armor, but still REALLY want that archery bonus? With the return of the Enchantment skill, items can be destroyed to learn their properties for use in making new ones. This means that equipment gathering is no longer the endless cycle of finding and selling and paying your first born to the Mage's Guild to make stuff temporarily better.
Oh, and dragons. With how late this review/rant is coming out, you've probably heard a lot about them already. Not a whole lot I can say on that matter except that they are far more fun than any of the other boss fights I have been involved with in this game up to this point. Fight them. Relish them, but remember that they are common throughout this game. If I had a nickel for every time I came out of fast travel and had to save a town, I wouldn’t have much money, because I don't think I've killed more than 20 dragons, and only like half those attacked towns. But I still feel like a boss.
Last, the main quest. I'm not going to get too much into this, because I honestly haven't done much with it. This shouldn't be a problem for many fans of the series, as no one really plays through it. From what I've seen of other people playing it, it is greatly improved story wise from Oblivion. What I can tell you is that guilds are back, with the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild being replaced by awesome. Dark Brotherhood is more disturbing than ever, and the Thieves Guild is... changed...
While a great game in and of itself, it stacks up with the best of the Elder Scrolls series. If you enjoyed any of those, give it a shot. It's definitely the best entry in the series. If you didn't, check it out anyway. Enough has changed that you may find yourself a new fan.
30 November 2007 - Party Room Changes
Posted by Ultragast on November 30th, 2007, 10:56 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
It seems that Party Pete was so busy partying that he forgot to inform everyone of a change to his Party Room!
You see, Party Pete is on a life-long mission to bring the 'party' to everyone on RuneScape, so he has developed an unlikely partnership with the Bank of RuneScape. Through this alliance, he believes that the 'party' will spread like wildfire.
Now, when the Party Room lever has been pulled, different things will happen according to the market value of the items in the party chest:
The bankers have entered into this agreement as they believe it will stop the Party Room being used as a means of transferring wealth covertly.
You see, Party Pete is on a life-long mission to bring the 'party' to everyone on RuneScape, so he has developed an unlikely partnership with the Bank of RuneScape. Through this alliance, he believes that the 'party' will spread like wildfire.
Now, when the Party Room lever has been pulled, different things will happen according to the market value of the items in the party chest:
- A value of up to 50k: there is a 10 second delay before the balloons drop.
- 50k - 150k: there is a 1 minute delay before the balloons drop. The Falador bankers and Party Room barmaids will announce that a party is happening.
- 150k - 1 million: there is a 5 minute delay before the balloons drop. The Falador men and women, bankers and Party Room barmaids will announce that a party is happening.
- 1 million+ : there is a 10 minute delay before the balloons drop. The Falador men and women, bankers and Party Room barmaids will announce that a party is happening. Nearly all the bankers across RuneScape will also announce that a party is happening, and will offer free teleports to the Party Room.
The bankers have entered into this agreement as they believe it will stop the Party Room being used as a means of transferring wealth covertly.
Do not read PMs from hìker!
Posted by Frogger on November 29th, 2007, 6:02 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Hello everyone,
It may seem like I'm telling you to ignore hiker's PMs but look at the name in the title carefully. It's spelt with a different character for the letter i. A user has created an account and sent out PMs asking for you to signup to a survey site to apparently help runevillage. This is not true, and the user who asked you to sign up is just reaping the money for the signups.
You are in no way in any harm from the website, but I wish for you guys to not reply to the account anymore. We have banned it and disallowed the user from logging in anymore.
Thanks,
Administration
It may seem like I'm telling you to ignore hiker's PMs but look at the name in the title carefully. It's spelt with a different character for the letter i. A user has created an account and sent out PMs asking for you to signup to a survey site to apparently help runevillage. This is not true, and the user who asked you to sign up is just reaping the money for the signups.
You are in no way in any harm from the website, but I wish for you guys to not reply to the account anymore. We have banned it and disallowed the user from logging in anymore.
Thanks,
Administration
Hiker impersonation!
Posted by Simons Pure on November 29th, 2007, 3:41 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
hìker wrote:
hello,
well its sad that its came to this, but im getting *really* low on money. and the reason this is in the form of a mass pm is because with this, *every* user will receive a pm, thus getting more attention than a topic would.
basically, donations were coming in really for a few weeks after the donation topics were made, which i personally thank you all for. but, it soon dwindled down to nothing, and as you probably know, the forums arent free, and i *need* the money so we can have the the village we all love.
with all the new things happening to the forums and databases, and a new site soon to be released, were getting a little scarce on money. (we own most of the top-level domains with the 'runevillage' name-- not only for our own use, but to protect the name from scammers and those who'd want to take advantage of our popularity over the years).
what i'm saying is that we need some cash to come in quickly-- and i'm still not in a position to take up the slack.... it's all i can do to stay out of the homeless shelter right now!
so if youve been thinking of making a donation to Runevillage, now would be the time, if you cant, luckily ive though up another solution, a way of you giving money, without actually losing *any*. this option has been made because im aware that some of our younger members have parents that wont allow them to donate—we understand that many of you would donate if you could, but that you're not in a position to do so....
this new option ive been talking about, its sketchy, but ive been told it works. its a website that gives my paypal account money for people registering on it—and you all *are* those people. now, dont be alarmed—you don’t need to give your credit card number, or anything personal for this, all you need to do is register, and then you can be on your merry way. the link is as follows….
*Link removed*
just click the link, register and that is *all*, youve given Runevillage money on your behalf, and helped us stay alive and a prospering community. there really arent many benefits to be do this, but there are several to make it more appealing. firstly, just as a normal donor, youll receive a donor icon, (as soon as i can put them back, its difficult on these forums, but its a *top* priority) in addition to this, youll be sent a small ‘newsletter’ detailing updated info on rv 2.0, which the website staff says will be released hopefully around christmas time.
so please, take a small portion of your time, sign up, and help runevillage stay alive.
happy trails,
well its sad that its came to this, but im getting *really* low on money. and the reason this is in the form of a mass pm is because with this, *every* user will receive a pm, thus getting more attention than a topic would.
basically, donations were coming in really for a few weeks after the donation topics were made, which i personally thank you all for. but, it soon dwindled down to nothing, and as you probably know, the forums arent free, and i *need* the money so we can have the the village we all love.
with all the new things happening to the forums and databases, and a new site soon to be released, were getting a little scarce on money. (we own most of the top-level domains with the 'runevillage' name-- not only for our own use, but to protect the name from scammers and those who'd want to take advantage of our popularity over the years).
what i'm saying is that we need some cash to come in quickly-- and i'm still not in a position to take up the slack.... it's all i can do to stay out of the homeless shelter right now!
so if youve been thinking of making a donation to Runevillage, now would be the time, if you cant, luckily ive though up another solution, a way of you giving money, without actually losing *any*. this option has been made because im aware that some of our younger members have parents that wont allow them to donate—we understand that many of you would donate if you could, but that you're not in a position to do so....
this new option ive been talking about, its sketchy, but ive been told it works. its a website that gives my paypal account money for people registering on it—and you all *are* those people. now, dont be alarmed—you don’t need to give your credit card number, or anything personal for this, all you need to do is register, and then you can be on your merry way. the link is as follows….
*Link removed*
just click the link, register and that is *all*, youve given Runevillage money on your behalf, and helped us stay alive and a prospering community. there really arent many benefits to be do this, but there are several to make it more appealing. firstly, just as a normal donor, youll receive a donor icon, (as soon as i can put them back, its difficult on these forums, but its a *top* priority) in addition to this, youll be sent a small ‘newsletter’ detailing updated info on rv 2.0, which the website staff says will be released hopefully around christmas time.
so please, take a small portion of your time, sign up, and help runevillage stay alive.
happy trails,
Hes mass pming people asking for money i have reported this already, Just warning others
29 November 2007 - Summoning Wallpaper
Posted by Zizi on November 29th, 2007, 11:38 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Remember that Development Diary last week, all about ‘Summoning’? Well, we promised you a Summoning wallpaper and that’s exactly what we’ve got for you!
This wallpaper contains concept art from the Summoning skill including a wolpertinger and spirit wolf. We’ll leave you to speculate what the intriguing pile of rocks is all about.
Head on over to the Downloads and Wallpapers section to have a look.
This wallpaper contains concept art from the Summoning skill including a wolpertinger and spirit wolf. We’ll leave you to speculate what the intriguing pile of rocks is all about.
Head on over to the Downloads and Wallpapers section to have a look.
29 November 2007 - Postbag from the Hedge
Posted by ZinyX on November 29th, 2007, 10:28 am. Category: RuneScape News
RuneScape.com wrote:
Pete's been having an interesting month, visiting the mindbendingly clever and the mindbogglingly thick! Mr Mordaut and Reldo have been flying the flag for the smart folks, while the trolls have been causing trouble at *ahem* 'the other end of the intellectual spectrum', shall we say?
Speaking of mindbending and boggling, Postie Pete has a picture from the Chaos Elemental's crib for you to decipher, if you think you're up to the challenge - but beware: it will tax your brain to the limit!
Of course, not everyone has been riding the intellectual rollercoaster. It's hard to say whether the Evil Chicken is smart or not, but we can safely say that he needed more hugs as a wee chick.
If you want to find out more, you'll just have to read the Postbag for yourself! And do keep sending in your letters and question otherwise the Evil Chicken will think you're scared of him! What's the matter? Are you chicken?
Speaking of mindbending and boggling, Postie Pete has a picture from the Chaos Elemental's crib for you to decipher, if you think you're up to the challenge - but beware: it will tax your brain to the limit!
Of course, not everyone has been riding the intellectual rollercoaster. It's hard to say whether the Evil Chicken is smart or not, but we can safely say that he needed more hugs as a wee chick.
If you want to find out more, you'll just have to read the Postbag for yourself! And do keep sending in your letters and question otherwise the Evil Chicken will think you're scared of him! What's the matter? Are you chicken?
29 November 2007 - Duel Tournament Changes
Posted by Metternich on November 29th, 2007, 10:26 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
We've made some important changes to how duel tournaments work.
The first change is to how wins are determined. If neither player has died at the end of the three minute period, the player who has done the most damage in a duel will proceed to the next round, unless both players have dealt equal damage. In this case, the winner will be chosen by the Duel Tournament judge.
We have also reduced the number of players needed for a registrar to initiate a duel tournament. This will make it easier for you to enter tournaments of various levels.
The first change is to how wins are determined. If neither player has died at the end of the three minute period, the player who has done the most damage in a duel will proceed to the next round, unless both players have dealt equal damage. In this case, the winner will be chosen by the Duel Tournament judge.
We have also reduced the number of players needed for a registrar to initiate a duel tournament. This will make it easier for you to enter tournaments of various levels.
26 November 2007 - The Grand Exchange
Posted by ZinyX on November 26th, 2007, 9:54 am. Category: RuneScape News
RuneScape.com wrote:
The Grand Exchange:
Are you fed up of trying to be heard above a crowded Varrock Marketplace? Are you tired of organising to meet players who want to trade with you? Do you just want to get on with the things you enjoy, rather than standing around, hoping that someone wants your full splitbark armour?
If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, then Brugsen would like to direct you to his marvellous new Grand Exchange! This huge establishment is home to a RuneScape first - an item marketplace - where members and free players can buy or sell a huge range of items.
Using the Exchange couldn't be any easier:
1. Bring items you wish to sell or money to buy stuff with.
2. Speak to one of the Grand Exchange clerks to either put items up for sale or to make a bid on any items.
3. The clerks will take your items or money and look for a matching bid/sale to match you up with.
4. You may have to wait for your bid to be accepted or for the clerks to find a purchaser - then again, it could happen in moments!
5. You will receive a message when the trade has been completed and you can go to the Grand Exchange or any bank to pick up your purchases or money.
Members are able to make six offers for sale or purchase at any one time, while free-to-play adventurers can have two. To make best use of these, Brugsen has advised his clerks to accept stacked and noted items; for example, 1,000 cut diamonds would only take up one slot, allowing you to make five other trades at any time!
The clerks also have the ability to convert armour into 'sets', which will only take up one slot. To find a list of the armour types that can be made into 'sets', visit the Knowledge Base article.
Market Prices in the Grand Exchange:
There is a limit to the amount you can buy or sell items for in the Grand Exchange, which is generally set at 5% above and below the 'market price', and it is impossible to buy outside of these boundaries. This will create a stable economy that cannot be abused by players who seek to manipulate prices to the disadvantage of others.
The market price is affected by any trade that occurs in the Exchange. If an item frequently sells for more than the market price then it will rise in value, but if it consistently sells for less than the market price then it will go down.
Initial market prices for items were decided after extensive research by Brugsen and his market experts, so should be very close to the item costs you are used to.
This market price will not only be used in the Grand Exchange. You will find that the value of staked items in the Duel Arena will also change, as will the player stock in the shops of RuneScape.
Keep an eye on item values to make sure you are buying or selling at the correct time. Reading the market and anticipating when it will go up or go down is an art in itself! However, the alchemy value of items is NOT affected. So, whatever you do, DON'T go high-alching your party hat! You'll still only get 1 gp, and you wouldn't like that...
For more details on the Grand Exchange and market prices, chat to Brugsen or the Grand Exchange Tutor for a tutorial. There is also a lot of information and some FAQs on the Grand Exchange Knowledge Base page.
------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
When buying items from the 'player stock' tab in shops, prices will now be based on whichever is highest: the predefined prices or the Grand Exchange price. This change is necessary because the shops were a way that players could covertly transfer wealth. Selling items into shops or buying from the 'main stock' tab in shops will still be based on our predefined prices, though some shops have had slight changes to the prices that they will buy and sell items at.
Due to player feedback, we've added a fifth registrar to the duel tournaments. We've also adjusted the tournament ranks at which you can join up for them. Hopefully, you should find that starting your career in duel tournaments is a little easier and the majority of players will have access to two registrars, pitting them against players of a more suitable level.
The duel tournament worlds have also been adjusted. Please check the world list for the latest worlds which tournaments are running on.
The minimum tournament rank to get on the Hiscores has been reduced to 1,800 so more players can track their progress. If you don't initially appear, you will have to login if you have a rank above 1,800.
Are you fed up of trying to be heard above a crowded Varrock Marketplace? Are you tired of organising to meet players who want to trade with you? Do you just want to get on with the things you enjoy, rather than standing around, hoping that someone wants your full splitbark armour?
If the answer is "yes" to any of those questions, then Brugsen would like to direct you to his marvellous new Grand Exchange! This huge establishment is home to a RuneScape first - an item marketplace - where members and free players can buy or sell a huge range of items.
Using the Exchange couldn't be any easier:
1. Bring items you wish to sell or money to buy stuff with.
2. Speak to one of the Grand Exchange clerks to either put items up for sale or to make a bid on any items.
3. The clerks will take your items or money and look for a matching bid/sale to match you up with.
4. You may have to wait for your bid to be accepted or for the clerks to find a purchaser - then again, it could happen in moments!
5. You will receive a message when the trade has been completed and you can go to the Grand Exchange or any bank to pick up your purchases or money.
Members are able to make six offers for sale or purchase at any one time, while free-to-play adventurers can have two. To make best use of these, Brugsen has advised his clerks to accept stacked and noted items; for example, 1,000 cut diamonds would only take up one slot, allowing you to make five other trades at any time!
The clerks also have the ability to convert armour into 'sets', which will only take up one slot. To find a list of the armour types that can be made into 'sets', visit the Knowledge Base article.
Market Prices in the Grand Exchange:
There is a limit to the amount you can buy or sell items for in the Grand Exchange, which is generally set at 5% above and below the 'market price', and it is impossible to buy outside of these boundaries. This will create a stable economy that cannot be abused by players who seek to manipulate prices to the disadvantage of others.
The market price is affected by any trade that occurs in the Exchange. If an item frequently sells for more than the market price then it will rise in value, but if it consistently sells for less than the market price then it will go down.
Initial market prices for items were decided after extensive research by Brugsen and his market experts, so should be very close to the item costs you are used to.
This market price will not only be used in the Grand Exchange. You will find that the value of staked items in the Duel Arena will also change, as will the player stock in the shops of RuneScape.
Keep an eye on item values to make sure you are buying or selling at the correct time. Reading the market and anticipating when it will go up or go down is an art in itself! However, the alchemy value of items is NOT affected. So, whatever you do, DON'T go high-alching your party hat! You'll still only get 1 gp, and you wouldn't like that...
For more details on the Grand Exchange and market prices, chat to Brugsen or the Grand Exchange Tutor for a tutorial. There is also a lot of information and some FAQs on the Grand Exchange Knowledge Base page.
------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
When buying items from the 'player stock' tab in shops, prices will now be based on whichever is highest: the predefined prices or the Grand Exchange price. This change is necessary because the shops were a way that players could covertly transfer wealth. Selling items into shops or buying from the 'main stock' tab in shops will still be based on our predefined prices, though some shops have had slight changes to the prices that they will buy and sell items at.
Due to player feedback, we've added a fifth registrar to the duel tournaments. We've also adjusted the tournament ranks at which you can join up for them. Hopefully, you should find that starting your career in duel tournaments is a little easier and the majority of players will have access to two registrars, pitting them against players of a more suitable level.
The duel tournament worlds have also been adjusted. Please check the world list for the latest worlds which tournaments are running on.
The minimum tournament rank to get on the Hiscores has been reduced to 1,800 so more players can track their progress. If you don't initially appear, you will have to login if you have a rank above 1,800.
22 November 2007 - Development Diary: ??? - Part 1
Posted by Don Toboy on November 22nd, 2007, 11:15 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
That speck on the horizon we first mentioned in this month's Behind the Scenes is now a little closer. It's just about big enough to make out some writing on its side... What could it be? What does it say? And just what on RuneScape have wolpertingers got to do with it? All these questions and more are answered in today's brand new Development Diary (well, okay, maybe not the wolpertinger one just yet).
There's no more news here. Just click here and read our new Development Diary!
There's no more news here. Just click here and read our new Development Diary!
New Stuf in the RV Store!
Posted by hiker on November 21st, 2007, 7:44 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
November 21 - New Stuf In The RV Store!Just in time for "Black Friday" (the largest shopping day of the year) Santa has delivered a batch of new items for your Christmas shopping!
There are new shirt designs, clocks, mouse pads and even an RV teddy bear! And speaking of bears, we even have our first non-RS political bumber sticker! If you're curious, check it out by hitting the "Store" link!
Among the designs, we have some special ones for Shando, bartoron, and Dr.Henry!
Cafe Press has also been at work this past year developing a new printing process that not only gives us some more design leeway, but improves the quality of the printed items as well. In fact, as a result of this new process, black t-shirts have been removed from "beta" status and are now a regular item. Also along with the black shirts we now have some other cool looking dark colors available, as well as some new light colors! Check it out!
happy trails,
--ho-ho-hiker
New size limits for signatures
Posted by Zilla on November 21st, 2007, 3:01 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
Hello Everyone
Hiker has decided to increase the file size limit for signatures. From now on, signatures can be up to 55kb instead of the original 36kb. The pixel dimensions for signatures and avatars remain the same at 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high for sigs and 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high for avatars. The new rules will look like this and will be updated shortly:
Hiker has decided to increase the file size limit for signatures. From now on, signatures can be up to 55kb instead of the original 36kb. The pixel dimensions for signatures and avatars remain the same at 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high for sigs and 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high for avatars. The new rules will look like this and will be updated shortly:
Quote:
Profile Use
These rules apply exclusively to your signature and avatar in your Profile field.
Signature size limits: 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high. Avatar size limits: 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high. File size limit for all images found in Avatar and Signature field: 55KB. (56,320 bytes)
VII. The following warrant image or text in your Profile being edited or removed.
Note: If an Administrator changes your profile, and you undo the change and add back the disallowed content, you have will your signature and avatar disabled for a month. Likewise, the same punishment will be issued if you refuse to change your profile when a Moderator or Administrator asks you to do so.
1. Your signature and avatar may not add up to more than 55KB in file size. This includes every image in your signature field, plus your avatar's size added up into one number.
For example: MiscUser1 has 2 images in his signature which are each 25KB large in file size, and an avatar which is 5KB large. Therefore, total size is 55kb.
2. You may not have more than 8 lines of text in your signature, or 4 along with any images. If you use a small font (70 or lower) you may have a maximum of 16 lines of text without any images, or 8 with an image(s).
3. Your avatar may not be more than 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high and your signature may not be more than 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high.
These rules apply exclusively to your signature and avatar in your Profile field.
Signature size limits: 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high. Avatar size limits: 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high. File size limit for all images found in Avatar and Signature field: 55KB. (56,320 bytes)
VII. The following warrant image or text in your Profile being edited or removed.
Note: If an Administrator changes your profile, and you undo the change and add back the disallowed content, you have will your signature and avatar disabled for a month. Likewise, the same punishment will be issued if you refuse to change your profile when a Moderator or Administrator asks you to do so.
1. Your signature and avatar may not add up to more than 55KB in file size. This includes every image in your signature field, plus your avatar's size added up into one number.
For example: MiscUser1 has 2 images in his signature which are each 25KB large in file size, and an avatar which is 5KB large. Therefore, total size is 55kb.
2. You may not have more than 8 lines of text in your signature, or 4 along with any images. If you use a small font (70 or lower) you may have a maximum of 16 lines of text without any images, or 8 with an image(s).
3. Your avatar may not be more than 80 pixels wide and 80 pixels high and your signature may not be more than 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels high.
Online Banner Design! Thanks Henner! Take a Look. ;)
Posted by Donut Juice on November 20th, 2007, 4:25 pm. Category: Global announcement
In reference to the Online Banner Design Vote:
Current Entries:
Goten:
+ 
Sky Demon:
Dark Paladin:
+ 
OR
+ 
Jackstick:
+ 
As displayed in this topic, there's several minor changes that are going to take place, and everyone's opinions are crucial in said changes.
Three things are going to have changed in due time, these are:
I can't express how dearly your opinions, ideas, and input is necessary in this project. What's the point of changing things, if they're altered to something no one likes?
Therefore, I'd greatly appreciate any of your ideas, in all honesty - nothing is a stupid idea when it comes to this.
__________________________
The Online Banner
I'm positive you're aware of what this is, the image that currently lurks under our User Names, and not only isn't exactly in the correct spot - but it's not very eye-pleasing either.
Area Placement
So, firstly, we're going to need ideas as to where to move this Online Banner to. The main areas that have arose, are.
Design
I think we'll start on this subject after the area where it's to be placed is decided. For this, anyone can enter for the new design of the Online Banner, there will be pixel dimension restrictions. I'll post on this topic when the competition for the design is created. So think up some ideas.
___________________
The Rank Images
When I say rank images, I'm referring to small banners you can use in your signature, displaying which groups you're a member of, 'SoTW Judge', 'Article Coder', 'Guide Editor', etc.
I personally really like RuneScape Community's, here are some examples:
Personally, I'd love one's definitely that size, but that design as well. Obviously the text needs to be changed to adapt to our needs, (font is 'Visitor') and also the color changed from blue, to brown - or something that would match our Chronicles theme.
You will have the option to display these in your signature, going length-wise. Such as:
With the banners of course being more graphically pleasing.
Basically all you have to do, is brew up ideas, and when the time comes, create the banners, and post them on the topic I'll announce - good luck!
___________________
File Size Limit for Profile Rules Increase
Like I said, for this, little to no work will be required on your part.
___________________
At this point, please give any input, ideas, and opinions whatsoever on this topic. Right now we're discussing the placement of the Online Banner please keep the discussion to this topic currently.
Thanks!
Current Entries:
Goten:
+ Sky Demon:
Dark Paladin:
+ OR
+ Jackstick:
+ As displayed in this topic, there's several minor changes that are going to take place, and everyone's opinions are crucial in said changes.
Three things are going to have changed in due time, these are:
- The Online Banner, both graphically, and where it's located.
- Several banners for being associated with certain groups at RuneVillage will be released. (Guide Editor, Database Team, Article Coder, etc.)
- The file size limit for our Profile Rules will be changed to 55KB - but this doesn't require much work on our part.
I can't express how dearly your opinions, ideas, and input is necessary in this project. What's the point of changing things, if they're altered to something no one likes?
Therefore, I'd greatly appreciate any of your ideas, in all honesty - nothing is a stupid idea when it comes to this.
__________________________
The Online Banner
I'm positive you're aware of what this is, the image that currently lurks under our User Names, and not only isn't exactly in the correct spot - but it's not very eye-pleasing either.
Area Placement
So, firstly, we're going to need ideas as to where to move this Online Banner to. The main areas that have arose, are.
- 1) Located by the Profile, PM, AIM, etc. buttons.
2) Near the 'Top' button, located near the bottom of your posts.
3) Under 'Location:' it will say, "Online: Yes/No"
Design
I think we'll start on this subject after the area where it's to be placed is decided. For this, anyone can enter for the new design of the Online Banner, there will be pixel dimension restrictions. I'll post on this topic when the competition for the design is created. So think up some ideas.
___________________
The Rank Images
When I say rank images, I'm referring to small banners you can use in your signature, displaying which groups you're a member of, 'SoTW Judge', 'Article Coder', 'Guide Editor', etc.
I personally really like RuneScape Community's, here are some examples:
Personally, I'd love one's definitely that size, but that design as well. Obviously the text needs to be changed to adapt to our needs, (font is 'Visitor') and also the color changed from blue, to brown - or something that would match our Chronicles theme.
You will have the option to display these in your signature, going length-wise. Such as:
With the banners of course being more graphically pleasing.
Basically all you have to do, is brew up ideas, and when the time comes, create the banners, and post them on the topic I'll announce - good luck!
___________________
File Size Limit for Profile Rules Increase
Like I said, for this, little to no work will be required on your part.
___________________
At this point, please give any input, ideas, and opinions whatsoever on this topic. Right now we're discussing the placement of the Online Banner please keep the discussion to this topic currently.
Thanks!
20th November - Guaranteed Content poll Results
Posted by ♥Malkin on November 20th, 2007, 7:41 am. Category: RuneScape News
Quote:
he results of the Guaranteed Content Poll are here. In it, we asked you two questions - 'Which non-player character would you most like to see graphically updated?', and 'Which group would you most like to see graphically updated?'.
You duly obliged, and we want to thank you all for really making a difference to the game.
So, to the results. Having counted through all of your votes, the Poll Orks are pleased to annouce the following winners:
The winner of the non-player character to be updated is - PARTY PETE
The winner of the group to be updated is - the TZHAAR
Our graphical wizards are now ready with their paintbrushes, eager to begin work on the choices you have made. The fruit of their labours will be included in our very next non-player character graphical update, early next year, so keep your eyes peeled.
You duly obliged, and we want to thank you all for really making a difference to the game.
So, to the results. Having counted through all of your votes, the Poll Orks are pleased to annouce the following winners:
The winner of the non-player character to be updated is - PARTY PETE
The winner of the group to be updated is - the TZHAAR
Our graphical wizards are now ready with their paintbrushes, eager to begin work on the choices you have made. The fruit of their labours will be included in our very next non-player character graphical update, early next year, so keep your eyes peeled.
20th November - Duel Arena Tournaments and Changes
Posted by ♥Malkin on November 20th, 2007, 7:40 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Duel Tournaments:
A large area, dating back to the Second Age, has been excavated beneath the Duel Arena, and what better use for it than a new player-vs-player minigame! This is the home of duel tournaments; a challenge for those who felt that only one round of fighting in a staked or friendly duel was a bit wimpy.
For those brave enough to take on up to 63 other players in a duel tournament, there is the potential to win 64 times your original entry fee: high stakes indeed, for an event that will demand your very best.
Which leads to our second addition: Duel Tournament Rankings! Your duel tournament history will be recorded by your rank, which can be viewed from the Hiscores table if you have a rank of 1,900 or above.
The rank will determine which of four ranked tournaments you can enter; for example, high-ranked players can fight other high-ranked players in the 1,900 - 3,500 tournaments. With duel tournaments, you will always be facing opponents of a similar duelling ability to you, across a range of randomly generated tournament rules.
Your rank will also affect the size of the entry fee. Higher-ranked matches generally have higher entry fees, and there is the chance to win much more - up to 64 million gp!
To ensure that you have plenty of opponents, we are keeping duel tournaments to specific servers. Visit worlds 28, 44, 46, 48, 54, 59, 64, 78, 83, 98, 110, 114, 121, 129, 130 or 132 to spar with the very best that RuneScape has to offer. We are keeping an eye on the duel tournament activity on these worlds, so this selection may change.
There are a huge number of tournament rule combinations, gathered from player submissions and the recent Duel Arena poll, so no tournament will ever feel the same. Fancy fighting through six rounds with no food? Or four rounds with no armour? The variety is massive, offering a challenge for every type of player, whether they are hungry to reach the top or happy to enjoy themselves.
To access the duel tournaments, travel down the stairs south of the Duel Arena Hospital.
Please read the knowledge base article here for more information.
Duel Arena Changes:
We have made some necessary changes to the above-ground staked and friendly duels of the Duel Arena:
In other news...
Various trees on Farming patches had accidentally been enlarged. Also, the texturing on the diseased versions caused them to look quite odd. Both the texturing and size of the trees have now been fixed.
Teleport sounds have been changed so that they're only heard by the spell's caster. Previously these sounds caused some confusion as to what was going on in the player's surrounding area.
Oldak from the Land of the Goblins quest is now a little more helpful when you're further along in the quest. He will continue to teleport you back to the temple if you bring him two law runes and some molten glass.
We have made a number of objects untradeable. These items were either quest objects that were not generally useful after the quest or they were easy to obtain items that were used by scammers who lied about them being rare. Examples include doogle leaves, doogle sardines, sulphur, spinach rolls, polished buttons, the Shantay pass and the axe flier.
A large area, dating back to the Second Age, has been excavated beneath the Duel Arena, and what better use for it than a new player-vs-player minigame! This is the home of duel tournaments; a challenge for those who felt that only one round of fighting in a staked or friendly duel was a bit wimpy.
For those brave enough to take on up to 63 other players in a duel tournament, there is the potential to win 64 times your original entry fee: high stakes indeed, for an event that will demand your very best.
Which leads to our second addition: Duel Tournament Rankings! Your duel tournament history will be recorded by your rank, which can be viewed from the Hiscores table if you have a rank of 1,900 or above.
The rank will determine which of four ranked tournaments you can enter; for example, high-ranked players can fight other high-ranked players in the 1,900 - 3,500 tournaments. With duel tournaments, you will always be facing opponents of a similar duelling ability to you, across a range of randomly generated tournament rules.
Your rank will also affect the size of the entry fee. Higher-ranked matches generally have higher entry fees, and there is the chance to win much more - up to 64 million gp!
To ensure that you have plenty of opponents, we are keeping duel tournaments to specific servers. Visit worlds 28, 44, 46, 48, 54, 59, 64, 78, 83, 98, 110, 114, 121, 129, 130 or 132 to spar with the very best that RuneScape has to offer. We are keeping an eye on the duel tournament activity on these worlds, so this selection may change.
There are a huge number of tournament rule combinations, gathered from player submissions and the recent Duel Arena poll, so no tournament will ever feel the same. Fancy fighting through six rounds with no food? Or four rounds with no armour? The variety is massive, offering a challenge for every type of player, whether they are hungry to reach the top or happy to enjoy themselves.
To access the duel tournaments, travel down the stairs south of the Duel Arena Hospital.
Please read the knowledge base article here for more information.
Duel Arena Changes:
We have made some necessary changes to the above-ground staked and friendly duels of the Duel Arena:
- There is now a cap to the amount a player can win in the space of 15 minutes in a staked duel, which is set to 3,000 coins. This limit will make it harder for real-world traders to unfairly use the Duel Arena as a covert way of transferring items. Of course, if you want to take part in some high-stakes duelling you now have the duel tournaments instead!
- The gp value of any item wagered in a staked duel is defined by the 'player value'. This 'player value' of an item will change according to any market fluctuations once the Grand Exchange has been introduced.
- Logging out of a staked duel will mean that you have forfeited the match, and the staked items will go to your opponent.
- Stats boosted before entering a duel will reset to their normal value at the start. You can still use potions during the duel, provided they haven't been disallowed.
In other news...
Various trees on Farming patches had accidentally been enlarged. Also, the texturing on the diseased versions caused them to look quite odd. Both the texturing and size of the trees have now been fixed.
Teleport sounds have been changed so that they're only heard by the spell's caster. Previously these sounds caused some confusion as to what was going on in the player's surrounding area.
Oldak from the Land of the Goblins quest is now a little more helpful when you're further along in the quest. He will continue to teleport you back to the temple if you bring him two law runes and some molten glass.
We have made a number of objects untradeable. These items were either quest objects that were not generally useful after the quest or they were easy to obtain items that were used by scammers who lied about them being rare. Examples include doogle leaves, doogle sardines, sulphur, spinach rolls, polished buttons, the Shantay pass and the axe flier.
16 November 2007 - Players' Gallery
Posted by The123king on November 16th, 2007, 8:16 am. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
This month's Gallery is a feast for the eyes, especially if your eyes are hungry for ham. You'll also find some great pictures of Barrows armour including one of the most innovative uses for duct tape we've seen in a while!
With a picture being worth a thousand words, this could end up being a very long newspost. We think it's best that you head over to the Players' Gallery and take a look for yourself!
Oh, and if Burntmeat is reading this; look, we're really impressed that you can nail meat to a canvas, but it's not going in the Gallery, so please stop sending it to us! The RPDT is starting to smell of meat. To everyone else, please keep your amazing creations coming in - we just can't get enough of them!
With a picture being worth a thousand words, this could end up being a very long newspost. We think it's best that you head over to the Players' Gallery and take a look for yourself!
Oh, and if Burntmeat is reading this; look, we're really impressed that you can nail meat to a canvas, but it's not going in the Gallery, so please stop sending it to us! The RPDT is starting to smell of meat. To everyone else, please keep your amazing creations coming in - we just can't get enough of them!
16 November 2007 - New Billing System
Posted by The123king on November 16th, 2007, 8:14 am. Category: RuneScape News
runescape.com wrote:
The Billing System has had a rework to make it easier for you to start or change a subscription to RuneScape.
The first thing you may notice is the change to the front page. From the 'Membership' area on the left, you are able to access two new sections. 'Billing FAQ' will tell you everything you need to know about subscribing and paying for RuneScape whilst 'View my account info' gives you the latest information on your account including the number of days credit remaining.
When you visit these sections you will also notice another change: the Billing System has been redesigned. You will find that actions now require less scrolling and clicking, reducing the amount of time you spend updating your account.
The pages also look very different, with each of them being headed by a logo that says 'Jagex' who, as you will most likely know, are the makers of RuneScape. The pages will all still be on a http://www.runescape.com web address and, even though they may look different, they are as safe to use as always. So, when subscribing you will be able see the padlock symbol in the usual part of your browser, which indicates that any transaction or information passed is encrypted and secure.
The first thing you may notice is the change to the front page. From the 'Membership' area on the left, you are able to access two new sections. 'Billing FAQ' will tell you everything you need to know about subscribing and paying for RuneScape whilst 'View my account info' gives you the latest information on your account including the number of days credit remaining.
When you visit these sections you will also notice another change: the Billing System has been redesigned. You will find that actions now require less scrolling and clicking, reducing the amount of time you spend updating your account.
The pages also look very different, with each of them being headed by a logo that says 'Jagex' who, as you will most likely know, are the makers of RuneScape. The pages will all still be on a http://www.runescape.com web address and, even though they may look different, they are as safe to use as always. So, when subscribing you will be able see the padlock symbol in the usual part of your browser, which indicates that any transaction or information passed is encrypted and secure.
13 November 2007 - Guaranteed Content Poll - Graphics
Posted by Zizi on November 13th, 2007, 10:58 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Those who have played through the Achievement Diary: Varrock, experienced the Grim Reaper's holiday event or appreciated the Triple Trouble wallpaper will know about Guaranteed Content Polls and the effect they have on future content. So, after the success and popularity of these releases, we would like to invite you to decide upon another piece of content.
In this poll, you will decide which non-player character deserves the graphical makeover treatment the most. This list has been drawn from the most popular suggestions from a thread on the Suggestions Forum, created specifically for this poll. The choices are:
Additionally, you will be able to choose which group of non-player characters should get a makeover:
The very next graphical improvement will feature these changes, so you can see the results of your Guaranteed Content Poll decisions.
To vote in the poll, click on the 'Vote in this poll' tab to the far-left of the RuneScape home page.
The poll will finish on the 19th of November, with the results being announced on the 20th November.
In this poll, you will decide which non-player character deserves the graphical makeover treatment the most. This list has been drawn from the most popular suggestions from a thread on the Suggestions Forum, created specifically for this poll. The choices are:
- Diango
- Duradel
- Gertrude
- Lanthus
- Party Pete
- Reldo
- Sir Tiffy Cashien
- Vannaka
Additionally, you will be able to choose which group of non-player characters should get a makeover:
- Elves
- Experiments
- Ghouls
- Guards
- Hobgoblins
- Seers
- TzHaar
The very next graphical improvement will feature these changes, so you can see the results of your Guaranteed Content Poll decisions.
To vote in the poll, click on the 'Vote in this poll' tab to the far-left of the RuneScape home page.
The poll will finish on the 19th of November, with the results being announced on the 20th November.
12 November 2007- Assist System and Skills Interface.
Posted by Adam on November 12th, 2007, 6:15 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
There are two new updates to existing content this week, both of which have been drawn from your suggestions and ideas.
The first of our changes is to the Assist System. When we released it, we wanted it to be an alternative way for players to help others. We also envisioned it to be a safe option for doing this, without any worries about item scamming.
Since its release, many of you have left comments about the Assist System on the Forums. Having read these posts, we have come to the decision that many of you have a strong and valid point!
Some forum-posters felt that the Assist System should not be used for getting hold of raw materials when using skills like Mining and Woodcutting. After all, getting hold of raw materials does not involve an actual exchange of items - it involves the passing of one item, or a group of items, to another player without receiving anything in exchange. A main aim of the Assist System is to make exchanging items safer and scam-free, so it does not apply here.
We had considered this when first creating the Assist System; however, we felt that some players would appreciate having this ability. Now, thanks to your feedback, we have reassessed this decision.
So, this week, we have limited the Assist System to those actions that do not consist of gathering raw materials. An exhaustive list can be found in the knowledge base, here.
The skills that can no longer be used with the Assist System are:
Fishing
Hunter
Mining
Woodcutting
We have also taken the opportunity to make the interface smaller, allowing the split-chat to appear clearly for those players who use it.
Our second update is to the skills interface. The changes are largely gathered from your suggestions, so thank you very much. We hope you appreciate them.
You will notice the first change when you hover over a skill icon on the skill interface. A pop-up window will now tell you exactly how much xp is required to train to the next level. This saves having to work it out, allowing more time for actually training that skill.
Your xp tallies are now separated with commas, so your 1567993 experience is now 1,567,993. We think you'll agree that this is much nicer to look at. The xp values are also justified to the right, so you can make at-a-glance comparisons quickly. Add to this a quicker pop-up window for your xp, and you have a tidy little update.
The first of our changes is to the Assist System. When we released it, we wanted it to be an alternative way for players to help others. We also envisioned it to be a safe option for doing this, without any worries about item scamming.
Since its release, many of you have left comments about the Assist System on the Forums. Having read these posts, we have come to the decision that many of you have a strong and valid point!
Some forum-posters felt that the Assist System should not be used for getting hold of raw materials when using skills like Mining and Woodcutting. After all, getting hold of raw materials does not involve an actual exchange of items - it involves the passing of one item, or a group of items, to another player without receiving anything in exchange. A main aim of the Assist System is to make exchanging items safer and scam-free, so it does not apply here.
We had considered this when first creating the Assist System; however, we felt that some players would appreciate having this ability. Now, thanks to your feedback, we have reassessed this decision.
So, this week, we have limited the Assist System to those actions that do not consist of gathering raw materials. An exhaustive list can be found in the knowledge base, here.
The skills that can no longer be used with the Assist System are:
Fishing
Hunter
Mining
Woodcutting
We have also taken the opportunity to make the interface smaller, allowing the split-chat to appear clearly for those players who use it.
Our second update is to the skills interface. The changes are largely gathered from your suggestions, so thank you very much. We hope you appreciate them.
You will notice the first change when you hover over a skill icon on the skill interface. A pop-up window will now tell you exactly how much xp is required to train to the next level. This saves having to work it out, allowing more time for actually training that skill.
Your xp tallies are now separated with commas, so your 1567993 experience is now 1,567,993. We think you'll agree that this is much nicer to look at. The xp values are also justified to the right, so you can make at-a-glance comparisons quickly. Add to this a quicker pop-up window for your xp, and you have a tidy little update.
12 November 2007- Land Of The Goblins.
Posted by Adam on November 12th, 2007, 6:12 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Our latest quest starts with a little goblin and a big dream. Grubfoot, the generals' dogsbody from the Goblin Village, has arrived in the Cave Goblin Mines and wants to speak to Zanik about what his dream might mean...
Journey into the secret heart of goblin religion, battle magic-wielding skeleton priests, and take on a whole new identity as you seek out the fabled Land of the Goblins.
This quest takes the focus off the H.A.M. storyline and puts it firmly onto the goblins. More will be revealed about the Big High War God, and Zanik will move closer to fulfilling her destiny. Your path may even bring you to a goblin transformation potion!
Summary
Where to start Land of the Goblins
Speak to Grubfoot in the Cave Goblin Mines.
Requirements to complete Land of the Goblins
Another Slice of H.A.M.
Fishing Contest
Level 30 Prayer
Level 36 Agility
Level 36 Fishing
Level 36 Thieving
Level 37 Herblore
Must be able to defeat a level 75 foe.
Access to
* A new area, the size of the Void Knights' Outpost
* Ability to transform into a goblin
* New teleport sphere
Journey into the secret heart of goblin religion, battle magic-wielding skeleton priests, and take on a whole new identity as you seek out the fabled Land of the Goblins.
This quest takes the focus off the H.A.M. storyline and puts it firmly onto the goblins. More will be revealed about the Big High War God, and Zanik will move closer to fulfilling her destiny. Your path may even bring you to a goblin transformation potion!
Summary
Where to start Land of the Goblins
Speak to Grubfoot in the Cave Goblin Mines.
Requirements to complete Land of the Goblins
Another Slice of H.A.M.
Fishing Contest
Level 30 Prayer
Level 36 Agility
Level 36 Fishing
Level 36 Thieving
Level 37 Herblore
Must be able to defeat a level 75 foe.
Access to
* A new area, the size of the Void Knights' Outpost
* Ability to transform into a goblin
* New teleport sphere
Scam Site WARNING! MANY PEOPLE AFFECTED!
Posted by Tyler on November 10th, 2007, 10:31 pm. Category: RuneVillage News
SCAM SITE WARNING FOR "Runescape 3 Beta" !!!!!!!!!!!
The site looks like this:(NO LINK WILL BE GIVEN TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BEING SCAMMED)
What is this?
This site is basically a site designed exactly like JaGex's regular site. It's got everything and was designed the same way just with a new update. This is all just a trick. After some investigating on the subject. I've clicked "Create new account" and I thus created one. When I got a response of "Invalid Password" meaning this is a database. If you type your regular rs pass or user name they will have the password. When putting something in the box. It is logged in a database they can see. After that they'll have your accounts password and information. They're are tons of places to enter your pass there so please just ignore the site if it is emailed you.
On other note: This site is also illegal and I've been trying to email JaGex and get them to take action. The person(s) whom created the site will be eventually sued for using JaGex's Ltd which is trademarked. If you can get a faster response from JaGex than pm please pm me.
Where is this scam common?
Please beware this has been emailed to me. The email address that sent it is "JaGexLtd@Jagex.com" also common in association with "JaGex@runescape.com" and other suspicious email addresses.
While looking at some of my comments on Youtube I've found adds to this site. They are being removed as we speak after talking with Youtube. They agreed to remove it from all videos they find. Also in some credits you'll find links they cannot remove all of them so they need help. If you do find one please PM me the link and I'll email Youtube again.
In Conclusion PLEASE DO NOT VISIT OR CLICK ANYTHING ON THIS SITE.
The site looks like this:(NO LINK WILL BE GIVEN TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BEING SCAMMED)
What is this?
This site is basically a site designed exactly like JaGex's regular site. It's got everything and was designed the same way just with a new update. This is all just a trick. After some investigating on the subject. I've clicked "Create new account" and I thus created one. When I got a response of "Invalid Password" meaning this is a database. If you type your regular rs pass or user name they will have the password. When putting something in the box. It is logged in a database they can see. After that they'll have your accounts password and information. They're are tons of places to enter your pass there so please just ignore the site if it is emailed you.
On other note: This site is also illegal and I've been trying to email JaGex and get them to take action. The person(s) whom created the site will be eventually sued for using JaGex's Ltd which is trademarked. If you can get a faster response from JaGex than pm please pm me.
Where is this scam common?
Please beware this has been emailed to me. The email address that sent it is "JaGexLtd@Jagex.com" also common in association with "JaGex@runescape.com" and other suspicious email addresses.
While looking at some of my comments on Youtube I've found adds to this site. They are being removed as we speak after talking with Youtube. They agreed to remove it from all videos they find. Also in some credits you'll find links they cannot remove all of them so they need help. If you do find one please PM me the link and I'll email Youtube again.
In Conclusion PLEASE DO NOT VISIT OR CLICK ANYTHING ON THIS SITE.
As regular Chat user's will have noticed, there's a large block of text above chat currently, saying that Chat is having an overhaul. Also if that wasn't a give away, there's the mysterious appearence of GameBot.
Well, yes I am starting to give Chat a few more upgrades and tweaks. Some will be behind the scenes, which will seem completely invisible, maybe making my life easier if I need to make any changes, or because they're for the mod's or admins only but I'll give a quick bit of info on what I'm doing.
Firstly, GameBot. Obviously this is a bot for playing games. I've already installed a couple of meepbot commands on it, such as !say and !rehash (an admin only command that only myself and Frogger should be using, should any admins be O.o What's that do!), and I've also started working on a !roll command, where Gamebot will roll a dice, and depending on your input, will roll it with a certain amount of sides. I'm also thinking of working on !deal command functionalities.
This would be completely experimental if done, and will not be easy.
Firstly if I was to do this, the commands would be more than just a simple case of !deal and GameBot gives you a card. GameBot would firstly have to remember what cards have already been dealt out, so he doesn't deal those again. Also I'd need a !deal and !flip command. This means that if you use the !deal command he gives you a command by PM, however, if you use !flip he says it in Main. Now... This presents more problems. If a user is given a card via PM, there's no record of who has what cards. So, not saying that anyone would, someone could therefore cheat, and say they had a card they didn't, therefore I think another command would be useful, which would be best added to the next command. This command would be something along the lines of !shuffle, where meepbot collects all the cards, and tells the users what cards were dealt before. This means that a user couldn't say claim they had a Q♠ When they really had a 5♣. I was also thinking, that as with some games, you "burn" cards, so an obvious !burn function would be nice, as would maybe a command to check what cards a user has already been dealt, such as !hand mogomongoose. As an example I will show a dialogue if i were to do this.
Italics represents a PM
[mogomongoose] !flip
[GameBot] 5 of Spades.
[mogomongoose] !flip
[GameBot] 9 of Hearts
[mogomongoose] !deal
[GameBot] 9 of Clubs
[GameBot] I have dealt a card to mogomongoose.
[mogomongoose] !burn
[GameBot] I have burnt a card.
[mogomongoose] !hand mogomongoose
[GameBot] Cards dealt face up to mogomongoose: 5 of Spades, 9 of Hearts.
[mogomongoose] !shuffe
[GameBot] Cards used in this hand: 5 of Spades, 9 of Hearts, 9 of Clubs.
[GameBot] Discarded cards in this hand: Ace of Diamonds.
[GameBot] Shuffling deck.
I hope that clears that up for you.
Also for meepbot I'll be installing the old oper commands, or at least some. As well as some new one's, such as !report and !checkban. !checkban is obvious. !report is more or less what the report function on the forums is. An oper can use this (in PM), to report a user if no mod's are present, or are afk. This means that when a mod enters chat, they can use the !getreport function, to check current reports. These reports can only be deleted by an admin however.
Now for the client. Firstly I need to make Games a permenant room in chat (which is proving to be less than pain free on it's own). I'll also be trying out some skins (maybe), and installing some extra functions for mods. Mainly changes to the client will be behind the scenes though, so little may change to non-mod users.
Anyway, hope that clears up some things, and I look forward to your feedback.
Moose out
Well, yes I am starting to give Chat a few more upgrades and tweaks. Some will be behind the scenes, which will seem completely invisible, maybe making my life easier if I need to make any changes, or because they're for the mod's or admins only but I'll give a quick bit of info on what I'm doing.
Firstly, GameBot. Obviously this is a bot for playing games. I've already installed a couple of meepbot commands on it, such as !say and !rehash (an admin only command that only myself and Frogger should be using, should any admins be O.o What's that do!), and I've also started working on a !roll command, where Gamebot will roll a dice, and depending on your input, will roll it with a certain amount of sides. I'm also thinking of working on !deal command functionalities.
This would be completely experimental if done, and will not be easy.
Firstly if I was to do this, the commands would be more than just a simple case of !deal and GameBot gives you a card. GameBot would firstly have to remember what cards have already been dealt out, so he doesn't deal those again. Also I'd need a !deal and !flip command. This means that if you use the !deal command he gives you a command by PM, however, if you use !flip he says it in Main. Now... This presents more problems. If a user is given a card via PM, there's no record of who has what cards. So, not saying that anyone would, someone could therefore cheat, and say they had a card they didn't, therefore I think another command would be useful, which would be best added to the next command. This command would be something along the lines of !shuffle, where meepbot collects all the cards, and tells the users what cards were dealt before. This means that a user couldn't say claim they had a Q♠ When they really had a 5♣. I was also thinking, that as with some games, you "burn" cards, so an obvious !burn function would be nice, as would maybe a command to check what cards a user has already been dealt, such as !hand mogomongoose. As an example I will show a dialogue if i were to do this.
Italics represents a PM
[mogomongoose] !flip
[GameBot] 5 of Spades.
[mogomongoose] !flip
[GameBot] 9 of Hearts
[mogomongoose] !deal
[GameBot] 9 of Clubs
[GameBot] I have dealt a card to mogomongoose.
[mogomongoose] !burn
[GameBot] I have burnt a card.
[mogomongoose] !hand mogomongoose
[GameBot] Cards dealt face up to mogomongoose: 5 of Spades, 9 of Hearts.
[mogomongoose] !shuffe
[GameBot] Cards used in this hand: 5 of Spades, 9 of Hearts, 9 of Clubs.
[GameBot] Discarded cards in this hand: Ace of Diamonds.
[GameBot] Shuffling deck.
I hope that clears that up for you.
Also for meepbot I'll be installing the old oper commands, or at least some. As well as some new one's, such as !report and !checkban. !checkban is obvious. !report is more or less what the report function on the forums is. An oper can use this (in PM), to report a user if no mod's are present, or are afk. This means that when a mod enters chat, they can use the !getreport function, to check current reports. These reports can only be deleted by an admin however.
Now for the client. Firstly I need to make Games a permenant room in chat (which is proving to be less than pain free on it's own). I'll also be trying out some skins (maybe), and installing some extra functions for mods. Mainly changes to the client will be behind the scenes though, so little may change to non-mod users.
Anyway, hope that clears up some things, and I look forward to your feedback.
Moose out
5 November 2007 - Assist System
Posted by Tal Set 65 on November 5th, 2007, 7:00 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
Today we introduce a new means for players to help each other: the Assist System. This update allows a lower-level player to 'borrow' the skill levels of a more experienced player, creating objects that they could not before.
To take advantage of the Assist System, right-click on a player you would like help from and select 'Req. assist'. That player can then click a pink message that appears in their chat box, deciding whether or not to offer you assistance.
If the assistance is accepted, you are free to use the skills of the other player, making items and taking advantage of their higher levels. The assisting player receives all of the XP, while you keep all of the items you create. This makes the Assist System a quick and safe way to get help making items!
A hand-in-hand icon will appear at the bottom-right of your screen when you are being assisted:
A good example is making an amulet of Strength. You may have the level 49 Magic to enchant a ruby amulet, but not the 50 Crafting to actually make it. With the Assist System you can safely 'borrow' the skill levels of an expert crafter to cut an uncut ruby. Still using the Assist System, you can then make the ruby amulet at a furnace with a gold bar, an amulet mould and ball of string. With the use of an Enchant Level 3, you can turn your ruby amulet into an amulet of Strength.
The Assist System can be used with the following skills:
Notes:
Summary
Read the Knowledge Base article here to read more about this system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
Some of the children in Meyerditch and Burgh de Rott were missed out from the NPC update. They have been revisited by the Makeover Mage who has given them a more consistent look.
The time-out in the Duel Arena has been reduced to 30 minutes from the previous 60 minutes. We feel this is more than enough time to defeat your opponent with whatever method you agreed upon!
We've also updated the stat icons in the skills tab. They now have a more detailed look, while maintaining their classic characteristics.
To take advantage of the Assist System, right-click on a player you would like help from and select 'Req. assist'. That player can then click a pink message that appears in their chat box, deciding whether or not to offer you assistance.
If the assistance is accepted, you are free to use the skills of the other player, making items and taking advantage of their higher levels. The assisting player receives all of the XP, while you keep all of the items you create. This makes the Assist System a quick and safe way to get help making items!
A hand-in-hand icon will appear at the bottom-right of your screen when you are being assisted:
A good example is making an amulet of Strength. You may have the level 49 Magic to enchant a ruby amulet, but not the 50 Crafting to actually make it. With the Assist System you can safely 'borrow' the skill levels of an expert crafter to cut an uncut ruby. Still using the Assist System, you can then make the ruby amulet at a furnace with a gold bar, an amulet mould and ball of string. With the use of an Enchant Level 3, you can turn your ruby amulet into an amulet of Strength.
The Assist System can be used with the following skills:
- Construction
- Cooking
- Crafting
- Farming
- Fishing
- Fletching
- Herblore
- Hunter
- Magic
- Mining
- Runecrafting
- Smithing
- Woodcutting
Notes:
- You can adjust your filters to allow or disallow any assist requests.
- You can earn a maximum of 30,000 experience in any 24-hour period by assisting people.
- You cannot assist someone with a quest, an Achievement Diary (they will not be able to mark a task complete if they were assisted in this way) or a minigame.
Summary
- A way to use the high levels of someone who is willing to help!
- Simply right-click on a player and choose 'Req. assist' to start.
Read the Knowledge Base article here to read more about this system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news...
Some of the children in Meyerditch and Burgh de Rott were missed out from the NPC update. They have been revisited by the Makeover Mage who has given them a more consistent look.
The time-out in the Duel Arena has been reduced to 30 minutes from the previous 60 minutes. We feel this is more than enough time to defeat your opponent with whatever method you agreed upon!
We've also updated the stat icons in the skills tab. They now have a more detailed look, while maintaining their classic characteristics.
1 November 2007 - Behind the Scenes - November
Posted by Rocky on November 1st, 2007, 10:38 am. Category: RuneScape News
Runescape.com wrote:
In recent months, we have been looking more and more at how wealth and objects move around the game. Our first update of the month, the Assist System, will continue in a similar vein, and will owe a lot to your reports and suggestions. You told us that you wanted a system for offering services to others without actually transferring items. So, with the Assist System, we bring you that ability. You may, for example, get a high-level crafter to cut your gems for you with no gems ever leaving your inventory! This system can be used across a multitude of different skills and is very easy to get to grips with.
The popular 'Make-X' option makes its way to the Smithing skill this month, so a blacksmith will be able to happily hammer away at an entire inventory of bars without multiple clicks.
This month also sees the release of the penultimate cave goblin quest. Ever since Zanik emerged from the mines below Lumbridge she has been faced with troubles very much of the H.A.M. variety. A different challenge faces her in this quest, which will require stealth and subterfuge to complete, taking you to places that have never been seen by human eyes, including some that have only been noted in goblin fable. Will a discovery of monumental proportions help bring the goblin tribes together? Only time will tell. Listen well and show your true knowledge to find a path to the Land of the Goblins.
As a result of numerous suggestions, we will also be making some changes to the skills interface. For one, we will be adding a 'How much xp till my next level?' statistic to each skill, so that you know just how close you are to achieving your goals!
Also this month, we will be introducing some fantastic changes to the Duel Arena. We have drawn information from a recent poll, various suggestions from players, forum posts and general feedback to create some improvements. There was overwhelming support for tournaments, so we offer enough room for 64 players and large prizes. You wanted more options on the Hiscores table, well, now you can track your Tournament Rank, which will reflect your Duel Arena awesomeness!
Later in the month, we bring you the 'Grand Exchange'. This new building will be located in the north-west of Varrock and will house a huge new addition to the game: the ability to offer items to buy and sell across ALL servers and to ALL players! You could go to the Exchange and put a full Barrows set up for sale, for example - then, playing Skullball in Canifis, you get a message telling you that they have sold and that you can go to the nearest bank to receive payment! The Grand Exchange will allow you to spend more time on the things you enjoy, providing a less time-consuming alternative to selling your items on the Forums or amongst the crowds of Varrock Marketplace.
Add a Guaranteed Content poll, Players' Gallery, Postbag and a Development Diary, and you have a month to remember.
We couldn't part from you without mentioning something very, very big on the horizon. The new year brings a stunning new update, and we are so happy with it that we are going to let a few hints trickle out over the next few weeks...
The popular 'Make-X' option makes its way to the Smithing skill this month, so a blacksmith will be able to happily hammer away at an entire inventory of bars without multiple clicks.
This month also sees the release of the penultimate cave goblin quest. Ever since Zanik emerged from the mines below Lumbridge she has been faced with troubles very much of the H.A.M. variety. A different challenge faces her in this quest, which will require stealth and subterfuge to complete, taking you to places that have never been seen by human eyes, including some that have only been noted in goblin fable. Will a discovery of monumental proportions help bring the goblin tribes together? Only time will tell. Listen well and show your true knowledge to find a path to the Land of the Goblins.
As a result of numerous suggestions, we will also be making some changes to the skills interface. For one, we will be adding a 'How much xp till my next level?' statistic to each skill, so that you know just how close you are to achieving your goals!
Also this month, we will be introducing some fantastic changes to the Duel Arena. We have drawn information from a recent poll, various suggestions from players, forum posts and general feedback to create some improvements. There was overwhelming support for tournaments, so we offer enough room for 64 players and large prizes. You wanted more options on the Hiscores table, well, now you can track your Tournament Rank, which will reflect your Duel Arena awesomeness!
Later in the month, we bring you the 'Grand Exchange'. This new building will be located in the north-west of Varrock and will house a huge new addition to the game: the ability to offer items to buy and sell across ALL servers and to ALL players! You could go to the Exchange and put a full Barrows set up for sale, for example - then, playing Skullball in Canifis, you get a message telling you that they have sold and that you can go to the nearest bank to receive payment! The Grand Exchange will allow you to spend more time on the things you enjoy, providing a less time-consuming alternative to selling your items on the Forums or amongst the crowds of Varrock Marketplace.
Add a Guaranteed Content poll, Players' Gallery, Postbag and a Development Diary, and you have a month to remember.
We couldn't part from you without mentioning something very, very big on the horizon. The new year brings a stunning new update, and we are so happy with it that we are going to let a few hints trickle out over the next few weeks...
